How I Saved Christmas
by GodlyJewel
Summary: Will has always been a The Nightmare Before Christmas fan. One night while watching the movie, Will and her dog are whisked away to Christmas Town, where Will meets Santa and follows Jack Skellington back to Halloween Town. Can Will help Sally save Jack from disaster or will Christmas be ruined? And how will Will get home?
1. Chapter 1

**How I Saved Christmas**

**Author's Note:** I love this movie and (while I would never want to change a thing), I wanted to write my own version what a NBC fan would do if they ever met Jack in person at this time. Let's face it, how many would want to try and talk/knock some sense into Jack?

**Rating:** K+ - for mild language and suggestive material

**Disclaimer:** Everything TNBC belongs to Tim Burton and all his creative genius. Songs from _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ CD soundtrack (music, lyrics, original score, and production) all by Danny Elfman. I only own the OC's. Although I want to mention Cosmic Horse and thank her for agreeing to guest star, and helping me write this story (she even came up with the title).

* * *

**Chapter 1: Twilight Zone**

(Will's POV)

It was a quiet evening, aside from the pouring rain outside. I was sitting in my room getting ready for the big camping trip with a couple of friends. As I packed my things I was watching a special TV airing of Tim Burton's _The Nightmare Before Christmas_. It was my favorite. I know all the lines and every song backwards. My room even has a few of the movie's merchandize: movie posters, a Zero plushy, the movie, and the original story written by Tim Burton.

I was just finishing packing up when my phone went off. I looked at the screen and answered. "Hey Al, what's up?"

_Nothing much. Just hanging with my peps and a fire. They burn really fast… I'm talking about the candy peeps._

Alice Tanner, one of my best friends and partner in crime. She's always had this crazy fun personality, but if you get on her hit list… Let's just say there won't be any witnesses willing to testify. She also hates being called by her first name because she doesn't want to be confused for that _Twilight_ vampire. She says they're not true vampires; she insists that they're glittery fairy princesses. So she only goes by 'Al' or 'Ally.'

I laughed. "Okay… I can't wait to spend the weekend at your parents' cabin. It's gonna be great. Hey do you know if Kat's coming?"

_I don't actually know…_ she said._ I may let her out of the basement… Then again she did dye my hair pink that one time…_

I remembered that. Al and I had fallen asleep while Kat went on and on about how she would marry Taylor Lautner one day. She got so mad she died Al's hair neon pink and I got stuck with a big mustache/beard combo on my face in **permanent ink**. Not a fun night.

I pulled myself back to the present. "Well either way I'm bringing the Bug Fogger just in case. Remember the last time? Kat freaked because she woke up to that spider crawling on her bed."

_Oh my gosh I remember that! Then she flung on…_ A load crash was heard outside, followed by a large flash of light._ ...me… What in the world was that? Th-thunder? No! Whole weekend's ruined!_

"Oh I'm sure it'll clear up," I tried to reassure her, "but if not I've got plenty of books to keep us occupied."

_Well they had better be some dang __**hot**__ books! There are some dang hot guys here… No book is going to be able to top their abs._

I rolled my eyes. "Can't you think about anything besides a guys cute…"

I was cut off as another flash of light exploded near my window. Suddenly the TV began acting weird. I almost didn't hear what Al was saying as a high-pitched howl filled my ears. A black shadow raced up the bed and dove between my bags. Staring up at me were two large brown eyes and a flattened snout. It was Mogwai, my two-year-old black pug.

"I'll call ya back." I hung up and placed my phone in my back pocket before addressing the whimpering pup.

"Now Mo, there's nothing to be scared of. It's just an old thunder storm." Mogwai continued to hide. "Well suit yourself. As for me I need to see if I can carry all this junk."

I attached the sleeping bag to the pack and placed it on my back. _Not to bad_, I thought. It was a little heavy considering it carried a weekend's worth of clothes, toiletries, insect repellent, a few books, phone charger, and anything else a teen girl needs for camping out at her friend's lakeside cabin. It also carried a very special gift for my friend Al. Kat and I had planned this trip to celebrate her birthday since she was two sick on her real birthday.

Suddenly lightening struck the house, directly over my room. The electronics started acting strange and the TV was going haywire as a large gust of wind burst through the screen. Mogwai dove into my arms as the light encompassed the whole room. I felt myself being swept up in a strange cyclone. I shut my eyes as the room was torn apart and the force started pulling me toward the TV. All I felt was the sense of falling before I blacked out.

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel:** Ok first chapter done. Sorry it's a little short but I promise the following chapters will be longer.

**Cosmic Horse/Al:** Ok, it's been half an hour and I can't get in touch with Will. Why she no answer… WHY SHE NO ANSWER DAMN IT!

**GodlyJewel:** Hey this is a Disney movie based story! No cursing! It's bad enough you mentioned that stuff about the books and the guys. Also it's only been a few minutes.

**Cosmic Horse: **HOW DARE YOU TELL ME NO CURSING! I AM EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD! I'M LEGALLY AN ADULT! Besides you totally stole that from Jack Sparrow. Stealer!

**GodlyJewel: **Whatever… To the readers, I apologize for her. I was trying to keep this curse-free, but that blew out of the water. Anyway back to story.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Christmas Town**

(Narrator's POV)

Something felt cold and wet. Voices were heard whispering along with a dog's whining. A weight was lifted and suddenly there was a feeling of being half dragged, half carried. Then nothing.

**XXX**

(Will's POV)

I woke slightly shivering. My head was spinning as I tried to recall what happened. _No more peppermint mochas before bed,_ I thought. I tried to get up and stretch when I heard something.

"Oh my, you're awake," said the bell-like voice. "How do you feel dear?"

"Like I need to remember the license number of that semi truck," I groaned, "My head feels like it'll split in two."

"Well nothing a little cocoa and cookies won't fix. I'll be right back."

Suddenly I realized that wasn't the sound of my mother's voice. My eyes shot open and I felt my breath catch in my throat: I was in someone else's living room. I sat up and surveyed my surroundings. It looked liked a Christmas display at Display & Costume. But why? It was the middle of June, wasn't it? I looked around, found a window, and saw that it was _snowing_ outside.

"Okay, officially freaking out now," I mumbled to myself.

Then my mysterious hostess re-entered the room. Coming in was an older woman with snow-white hair tied in a bun. She wore a red, long-sleeved dress trimmed with white fluff and a white apron. On her head she wore a Santa hat, and she was coming towards me with a tray of cookies and hot cocoa. She set the tray down and sat down in a chair opposite from the couch. She smiled and it seemed like she was waiting for me to talk.

When I remained silent, she began to speak. "Well my dear, I'm glad you are feeling better, but perhaps you could tell me what you were doing out there in the snow. That outfit you have on won't do you much good except catch you a terrible cold in this weather."

I looked down and realized I was still wearing an orange tank top with Thumper on the front cuddled in a patch of flowers, and a long pair of gray flannel pants way too large, but very comfortable. Great for sleepwear; not the best thing for snow. I'm just glad there was a blanket around my shoulders and a fire going.

"I… I-I don't know," I stuttered. "Umm… w-where am I?"

"Why you're in Christmas Town my dear," she chuckled. "Oh, forgive me, I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Mrs. Claus but you probably already knew that."

Rational mind, shutting down. "You… I mean you're… but how could…" I took a breath to calm down. "You're… _Mrs. Claus_!?"

The old woman chuckled. "Well of course my dear. But now the question is, who are you?"

"W-Willa. Willa Cameron, b-but my friends call me Will."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Willa. Now," reaching over and handing me a mug, "why don't you start from the beginning as to how you happened to be here."

I took the mug and held the warm drink between my hands. I felt like I needed the warm mug as a lifeline to reality. "Well, I was in my room, packing for a trip up to my friend's cabin, when my dog– Hold it! Where's Mogwai!?"

"Mog why?" Mrs. Claus looked confused. "Oh, you mean that delightful little pup who was with you. Poor little thing went nearly hysterical when you wouldn't wakeup. I believe one of the elves took him out to the barn with the reindeer. He should be just fine. We also had your things put in the closet. We thought you were a hiker who lost their way. Although, no one has ever made it this far before."

I sighed with relief, which was odd since I was talking with Mrs. Claus and my dog was with flying reindeer. One problem solved; now to address the bigger issue.

"Thank you for taking care of Mogwai, he can be a handful. Anyway I wasn't hiking. I'm not really sure how, but I somehow made it here from my bedroom." Before I knew it I was explaining the bizarre events that led me here. It was surprisingly easy to talk to the holiday figure. Mrs. Claus was an excellent listener. She never interrupted and waited to ask questions until I was done.

"And then I woke up in your living room."

There was a pause. "Well my dear, that's quite the story. I must say I never heard of anyone being transported to another world, especially by a television set of all things."

_Clearly you guys don't get cable_, I thought dryly.

"Nevertheless," Mrs. Claus continued, "there is the matter of getting you home before your parents begin to worry."

"Well they won't know I'm missing. They weren't even home when this thing happened." I took another sip of cocoa and reached for one of the cookies.

"This is quite the puzzle," she pondered. "Perhaps my Santa will know what to do."

I nearly choked trying to prevent the cocoa from spraying out of my mouth. I forced a swallow and coughed before speaking. "Y-You mean…"

At that moment the jolly old elf himself entered the room with a 'Ho, ho, ho.' He was just as the books described him: rosy cheeks and a cherry nose, a round belly, and a beard of white. He wore his trademark hat, red coat, and belt, with a pair of black gloves and boots.

"Hello dear, how was everything in the factory?" Mrs. Claus asked casually.

"Everything seems to be running on schedule," he said proudly. "Lots more little boys and girls this year, and with so many requests for toys." It was then he noticed me. "Ho, ho! And who might this young lady be?"

"This is Willa, dear," Mrs. Clause answered. "The elves and I found her on our morning walk. Poor dear was nearly frozen and half buried in the snow."

"What-What!?"

After getting over the shock of seeing Santa, I repeated my story for the second time that evening. As expected, Santa was as equally as puzzled as Mrs. Claus. When I was done Santa excused himself and Mrs. Claus to talk in privately in the next room. So I waited patiently with my cocoa and the plate of cookies. It was about twenty minutes later before they re-entered the room.

"Well, I should check on the reindeer. The team needs to be in top condition before Christmas Eve," Santa said as he headed for the door.

"Oh, can I come?" I asked. "Mrs. Claus said my dog was with the reindeer and I want to make sure he's okay." Ulterior motive: I **really** wanted to see the reindeer.

"Why of course," Santa chuckled.

"Wahoo!" I got up off the couch and began to follow.

"Hold on dear, I think you should put on something a little warmer or you'll freeze again," Mrs. Claus suggested.

I looked down and realized Mrs. Clause was right. I was still barefooted in my pajamas. A slight blush came to my cheeks and Mrs. Claus took pity on me. She led me over to the closet where she'd put my backpack.

I took the pack and dug through the contents until I found my black and blue tennis shoes. I slipped them on and then pulled out my jacket. It was purple with black and blue bats on it. Santa and Mrs. Claus thought my jacket was a bit odd, but they had no objections to it.

"Well let's go then." He opened the door and we headed out.

**XXX**

Everywhere I looked there were Christmas lights and decorations. The streets were filled with merry elves bustling about, and I found their laughter quite infectious. I noticed that all the elves seemed to dress exactly alike. The boys wore green pants with blue suspenders, a white shirt, red gloves, tall green hats, and long dark green pointed shoes. The girls wore rose-pink dresses, yellow gloves, and red shoes, with tall red and pink hats that stood on top their shoulder length lilac hair. All of them had the classic pointed ears and rosy cheeks, and ranged from children to elderly ages.

As I looked around more I couldn't help but notice how familiar this place seemed. Sure I could blame it on all the Christmas movies and stories I've seen since I was three, but that wasn't it. Something just kept nagging at the back of my mind. It was almost a sense of déjà vu; something just seemed **very** familiar about this place.

Finally we arrived at the barn but our mood changed. Inside we could here some cheery Christmas music and a high-pitched howling.

"What on earth could that be?" Santa asked.

_I bet I know_, I thought as we got closer. When we opened the door, suddenly a small black shadow ran right by us. All the elves were chasing it and yelling to each other.

"It's over there!"

"He went that way!"

"Someone catch it and make it STOP!"

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?" All the elves stopped and looked to Santa. He was standing at the door looking around for the cause of the chaos. No one seemed to notice me. "Bernard, please explain this."

Then one elf, about three feet tall, in a tall green hat stepped forward. Unlike the other elves he wore a red outfit and a thick pair of black glasses.

"We don't know, sir. We were just tending to the reindeer when Benny turned on some Christmas carols. All of a sudden the dog started panicking and then there was howling and barking..."

While they had been talking I went over to the radio and turned the music off. Everyone looked my way as I walked over to my dog and picked him up, calming him down. I turned to see everyone starring at me in disbelief.

"Sorry everyone," I apologized. "Mogwai is a little sensitive. Certain sounds make him freak out."

Everyone looked confused but then Santa started laughing, though the elves still seemed unsure of things. Soon they went back to work and Santa showed me all the deer. Of course he laughed when I correctly pronounced them all in order, by name, before he could. Once Mogwai calmed down he actually started looking around and checking out the reindeer. He and Blitzen seemed to be getting along.

"Tell me Will, I know you explained how you came to be here, but just how are you planning on returning home?" Santa asked.

I stopped petting Comet to look at him. "Honestly, no clue. I mean my parents are gonna freak if they find out I'm gone, but telling them I'm at the North Pole? They'll say I need my head examined." It all seemed impossible when I got an idea. "Oh duh! Santa, couldn't you just give me a ride home?"

"I wish I could but I'm afraid I cannot. You see my reindeer can only fly on Christmas Eve when I deliver all the presents."

"Death!" I couldn't wait five months to get back home. By then mom and dad would have a statewide search looking for me, and I'd be grounded for who knows how long. I guess Santa saw how disappointed I was.

"Now then my dear, don't be so glum. Christmas is only just a few weeks away."

I laughed. "Very funny sir but that's not possible."

"Excuse me? I'm afraid I don't understand."

"How can Christmas be so soon? Last time I checked it was June." **[AN:** Seriously! Did that **have** to rhyme?**]**

Santa started laughing although when I didn't start laughing he began to get serious.

"My dear I'm not sure what calendar you looked at but today is November first. If you don't believe me, just look at our clock." He pointed to a large clock tower that looked more like a brick chimney. Toward the top was a clock inside a large wreath, but instead of the usual numbers, it had the twelve months of the year. At the top, where the twelve would be, was the abbreviation for December and a white box with a red 25. The face was yellow and the hands were a couple of Santa hats. Beneath that was a countdown clock the read 'DAYS LEFT: 0.5.4.'

The sudden sense of déjà vu finally made sense, though I just couldn't believe it. The buildings, the scenery, Santa Claus; I was really in Christmas Town... _the_ Christmas Town from _The Nightmare Before Christmas_!

Suddenly I found it very hard to stand up.

"Whoa!" Santa caught me as my knees gave out. "Perhaps we should head back inside."

I nodded and let him lead me back inside. I was seated on the couch while Santa left (something about needing to check his list). Meanwhile my brain was still trying to process all this. It was real, it was all real! One of my favorite movies of all time was actually real! Sure I always thought the idea was cool, not to mention I'd read many fan fictions where people enter their favorite stories, but to have it actually happen? If I weren't so frazzled, I'd be having a lot of fun right now.

I was brought back to reality when I noticed how uncomfortable the couch was. I stood up and remembered my phone was still in my pocket. I pulled it out and checked to see if still worked. I sighed when it was still fully charged and seemed to function just fine. There even seemed to be a few missed calls from Al. However, the date had changed. Now it read that it really was November, but the most starling thing was that the year had changed too. Apparently I had also gone back in time at least nineteen years.

I needed to sit down again. This was just too much, yet I needed to figure this out. I must have sat there for about five seconds when a frazzled elf came running in the door. I knew it was Bernard from his red outfit and black glasses.

"Hey dude, what's up?" I asked him.

He paused in front of the door before turning to address me. "Oh, you're that girl Santa brought in. Thank Christmas I found you. I need you're help."

"Okay… shoot." I had no idea how I could help a Christmas elf, but I was going to try. I chuckled. This would be were Al would tell me I'm too nice. Oh well.

"Well you see, we were finishing up in the stables and someone left the door open. I'm so sorry Miss but I'm afraid your dog got loose and…"

_Dang almost forgot about him_, I thought. "Its cool. Mogwai has a habit of being a little Houdini, but he couldn't have gotten far. Why don't I help you look for him?"

Bernard let out a sigh of relief and wiped his brow. "Oh thank you. I was afraid you'd be upset."

"Nah, that spaz gets into plenty of trouble at home." I hopped off the couch and walked over to the door. "Well are ya coming or what?"

**XXX**

"Oh where did he go now?" I searched all around the town square and still Mogwai managed to escape. Why did I think I could let him wander around without a leash? He'd probably already caused enough mischief the little spaz-case. Bernard and I had decided to split up to look for him, but now it didn't seem like such a good idea.

Just when I was about to turn back and get help, a familiar black shape was bounding toward me. I sighed in relief, but as Mogwai got closer I noticed he had something in his mouth.

"What ya got there silly doggie?" I reached down to take it out of his mouth. At first Mogwai wouldn't let me have it. I sighed; I didn't have time to play this game. He finally stayed still enough so I could get down on one knee behind him and pick him up.

"Drop it! Drop it Mo." I gently shook the pup until he dropped the object on the ground. I set Mogwai down and reach for the object. "Huh, wonder where you found this stick."

Picking it up, I marveled at how white and smooth it was. It was also incredibly long, about the length of my arm. _How did my little dog carry this thing?_ I thought.

I turned it to the side and stopped when I came to one end I thought had been a few branches. I was wrong. Attached to the bottom of the "stick" was a skeletal hand with four long, bony fingers. I was holding a skeleton's arm! I was about to drop it when the thing latched onto my wrist.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" I grabbed the forearm with my free had and tried to pull it off.

Mogwai started barking and running around in circles, while I tried pulling on the arm, and even yanked on the fingers. Then I swung my arm in an attempt to dislodge it, but the sucker was holding on for dear life.

"Screw this!" I yelled before leaning over and biting its knuckles. It immediately let go and dropped to the snow, shaking its hand like it was trying to shake off the pain. Then it made an attempt to crawl away. Mogwai continued to bark at it and I, still mad, stepped on it to prevent its escape. Carefully I reached down and picked it up by the wrist, so that it couldn't grab me again. It started jerking, trying to grab anything it could reach. I tightened my grip and chomped my teeth, threatening to bite the hand again. It stopped jerking and cowered back as if it understood me. Cool, but freaky.

"Okay, fun's over. Now, what is a skeletal hand doing in…" My thought process was interrupted as something tapped on my right shoulder. Mogwai started to whine and slowly backed up.

"Excuse me, but I believe that's mine."

Slowly I turned around. The first thing my eyes met were two incredibly long, impossibly thin legs in black and white pinstripe pants. My gaze traveled upward until I was looking into two black eye sockets. Needless to say, my eyes widened, my jaw dropped, and I immediately lost my grip on the arm. Standing before me was none other than my all time favorite Tim Burton character.

"J… J-Jack Skellington!"

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel:** Ok, just met _the_ Jack Skellington! Not that dude from Mickey's Halloween party. No, the _**real**_** Jack Skellington**! How cool is this!? *****totally spazing in fan girl moment***** Hope you readers are enjoying this so far.

**Jack:** Did you really have to bite me? *****cradles arm*****

**GodlyJewel:** What'd you expect? Your arm was attacking me, and not in the hug-type way! Who do you think I am, Victor Van Dort?

**Jack:** … Didn't have to bite me…

**GodlyJewel:** *****rolls eyes***** Anyway… On with the story.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Girl and the Skeleton**

(Will's POV)

"J… J-Jack Skellington!" I exclaimed.

"Why yes," he answered, "but uh… How did you know that?"

_Crap_. How was I supposed to explain this? 'Oh hi, I'm just a girl from the real world, and I happen to be the biggest fan of your movie, which I've seen like a billion times since I was six.' Yeah, that would make a whole lot of sense.

"Well I… um… um…" I had to think of something. I tried recalling the words from Jack's Lament. One particular line about England and France came to mind. "Who doesn't know the infamous Pumpkin King, known throughout the world as the most terrifying being of them all?" _Please buy it, please buy it._

"Well I guess that's true," he finally answered. "Now, perhaps you could give me my hand." He pointed down to where I'd dropped his hand.

Lowering my gaze I noticed his left sleeve was dangling about from the absent limb. I snapped out of my daze and reached down for the arm. I picked it up and handed Jack his arm. He took it and reconnected the joints. He lifted his arms and flexed his fingers.

"Ah, that's much better," he said before turning back to me. "Thank you Miss…"

"Name's Will." I reached out my hand. "I guess you already met my dog." He then enclosed my hand in his long bony fingers. I was surprised how calm I was as I shook hands with the skeleton.

"That's a dog?" Jack looked over at Mogwai who was still hiding behind me. "Why doesn't he have a nose?"

I laughed. "He's a pug" I reached behind me and picked him up for Jack to see. I pointed to his nose. "Pugs just have that face that looks like they ran into a wall. Out of all the dogs I've had, Mogwai here is the one with the most personality."

"Mog what?"

"Mogwai. Named after Gremlins," I explained.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Gremlins, it's a movie with little green... You know what, forget it." Obviously the holiday icon hadn't seen to many horror movies. "Anyway I should apologize for Mogwai taking your arm like that."

"Not at all," he insisted. "I'm used to dogs trying to get a bone or two. I even throw one of my ribs for my dog Zero."

We both laughed at that.

When we both stopped I asked, "So, what are ya doing here anyway? No offense, but skeletons aren't exactly Christmas related."

"Truth is I came upon this town by accident. I was walking through the Hinterlands when I came upon the strangest sight: six doors all in a circle with odd little pictures painted on them. Naturally I was very curious…" He explained but I had tuned out. What Jack was saying had just added to what I discovered earlier.

That's when I remembered that not only had I been watching the movie before this happened, but the very last scene I saw was when Jack was falling down the tree into Christmas Town. If that was the case then this meant this was the beginning of Jack almost taking over Christmas. That meant I wasn't actually in Tim Burton's Nightmare world, but instead I had managed to get myself trapped inside the movie itself.

"Well, I better be going," Jack said as he started to walk away.

"Where you going?" I asked as I followed after him.

"I must get back to Halloween Town. I want to tell everyone there about this new holiday. But I need to get some proof it really exists or they'll never believe me."

I ran out in front of him and stood in his path, forcing him to stop.

"So you're just taking stuff. Isn't that a bad idea?" I asked. "Someone could see you. Besides, other than the fact that a walking/talking skeleton would freak everyone out, I don't think Santa would like it if he found out you were stealing from him."

"Who's Santa?" Jack asked.

"Only one of the most famous holiday icons on the market," I explained. "Basically Santa is to Christmas Town as you are to Halloween Town. So he's kinda the Big Shot around here."

"You seem to really know about this Christmas stuff. You must be an expert."

"Well I wouldn't go that far."

"Well, you certainly know more than I do." He started looking around. "You wouldn't happen to know if there are any books that could explain all these things."

I wanted to help him but truth was I had only been here a few minutes; I had no idea where anything was. Besides, if he got caught I'd have a lot of explaining to do to Santa. And I wasn't in the mood to explain to everyone that I was from the real world and they were all part of a movie.

Suddenly I got an idea. "You know Jack, if you want, I could help explain Christmas to you so you could tell everyone in Halloween town. That way you don't have to look up every little detail and risk messing something up."

Jack pondered this information. "Hmm…"

**XXX**

(Jack's POV)

So far things today had not gone as I anticipated. After last night's festivities I found myself wondering through the Hinterlands. I walked all night and, as the sun entered the sky, I noticed I had wondered into someplace new. Ignoring Zero's hesitant barks I approached the strangest sight I'd ever seen: six door all in a circle. Each one fascinated me, that is, until I saw the one with (what I know now) a Christmas tree. When I opened the door I was pulled into it and found myself in a place called Christmas Town. Everything was so different from Halloween Town: the colors, the joy; everything about this town was so exciting and new.

I had to know everything about it. I started grabbing whatever I could to take back and show my friends. Of course I hadn't been expecting a small black dog to jump out of nowhere and grab my arm. He took off with it and I had to chase him down. Imagine my surprise when I run into a human girl. She seemed surprised to see me, but the oddest thing was she wasn't scared of me. I'm the Pumpkin King, Master of Terror. I should frighten anyone who lays eyes on me. Yet this girl was unafraid, and she also seemed to know me. She even introduced herself to me as Will (odd name for a girl) and she even shook my hand.

We got to talking and she offered to help me understand Christmas. Of course I couldn't pass up such an opportunity, but I needed to get back to Halloween Town. The Mayor was probably going hysterical right in my absence. I had no choice but to bring Will back with me. But first I needed to gather some more Christmas items. Will told me she would help me, but she needed to gather some things for herself. By the time I had everything I thought I needed Will appeared riding on a strange contraption I'd seen the little creatures driving around earlier. There was a trailer attached to the back of the device. In the back was a large pack and Will's dog on a leash.

Then Will and I loaded everything into a strange vehicle. Apparently it was called a "snow mobile." I was curious to how it worked so Will showed me how to operate it. With everything packed up I drove back to where I had appeared in the woods. We located the doors and Will pointed out the one we needed. Imagine my surprise to see a jack-o-lantern door. Of course it was difficult to fit everything into the tree so we divided up the cargo. Once everything was sent through, Will and I jumped through.

The trip through the Halloween door hadn't been so bad. Although instead of being pulled in by a flurry of snow we were grabbed by a cluster of autumn leaves. When everything cleared we appeared in the Hinterlands. I managed to land on my feet, while Will sat on the ground with her dog in her arms. The dog wiggled out of her arms and began sniffing around. I was about to offer to help her stand when she suddenly jumped up.

"Whoa, that was so cool!" Will exclaimed. "Just like the drop on Splash Mountain."

"What's Splash Mountain?" I asked

"It's this awesome ride at Disneyland," she explained with a large smile. "It's got this huge eighty foot drop–"

"Ruff! ruff!"

Will was interrupted by the sudden appearance of my dog, Zero. I had almost forgotten that I'd left him alone when I was pulled into Christmas Town. Apparently he'd been waiting there for me the entire time.

"Good boy Zero," I told him as he barked while circling me.

"Oh my gosh!" I turned around to see Will staring at Zero and myself. Zero became very interested in my new friend and floated over to her.

"Oh, how rude of me. Will, this is my dog Zero. Zero, I'd like you to meet Will." Zero seemed to really like Will and even let her pet him. Then he and Will's dog became interested in each other. "And this is Will's dog, Mog why."

While the dog's played Will and I reloaded the snowmobile before gathering up the pups and heading out for town. Along the way I asked Will many questions about Christmas. She explained to me that it is one of the most celebrated holidays in the human world. It's a time for families to come together and gather around a decorated tree and open gifts.

"Although Christmas is more than that," Will continued, "it's–"

Suddenly she was interrupted by the strangest sound I'd ever heard.

_When the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake_

_Spooks come out for a swingin' wake_

_Happy haunts materialize, and begin to vocalize,_

_Grim grinnin' ghosts come out to socialize_

I stopped the snowmobile and began looking around. "What. Was. That?"

"Oh sorry, that's my cell," Will apologized. She began fumbling around in her bag before pulling out the strangest object I'd ever seen. It was flat and rectangular shaped; one side was a light purple with a whimsical design, while the other had white and black surface.

"Hey its Al, she's FaceTiming me," Will smiled. I had no idea what a FaceTime was but it seemed to be a good thing. I watched her slide her finger across the strange object and then she began talking to it. "What's up?"

That's when I heard another voice. _Ok, first off you said you were going to call back but you never did. Secondly, you never let me finish ranting about the pink hair, and third__–_

"Al chill! I have my reasons," Will explained.

_Reasons! Well them reasons had better be a) life threatening, b) HOT, or c) you were buying me underpants. I really hope it isn't c._

"Nope, it's d) none of the above. But you're not gonna believe me."

_I believe in the Loch Ness monster, Santa fricking Claus, true love, and that Snape did not actually die! Try me… I **dare** you._

"Okay… you asked for it. Actually it's a good thing you called me on Facetime. Look behind me." Will started to pull the object further from her. I still had no idea what was going on. All I knew was that Will was talking to a strange object that apparently was alive, but the manner of the conversation was just confusing. Underpants and Santa "fricking" Claws. And what for Halloween's sakes is a Snape?

The voice started to speak again. _OK… behind I see… woods… lots of wood… are those… those presents?_

"They're not for you…" Will told the strange box. At that moment I wasn't the only one interested in the strange device. Zero had floated up behind Will's shoulder to examine what was in her hand.

_Gr. Hmm more woods and… OMFG ITS FRICKING ZERO!_

"What did I tell you about… Oh never mind. Yes its Zero and… Look who else." Will then turned the object in my direction. I was amazed to see that the dark spot on it now held the image of a girl about Will's age. They seemed to have similar skin tones, though Will was much paler. This girl also had long brownish-red hair and pale-green eyes. Her face seemed to be a mixture of shock and awe, not to mention disbelief. Add screaming terror and you'd have the face of every man, woman, and child I scared last night. I hesitantly reached out to touch one finger to the screen. This was such a fascinating little device. That's when Will started talking again.

"Yep, it's really him Al. Say 'hi' Jack."

"Hello…" I hesitantly said to the screen, unsure why I was speaking to a picture.

Then the picture began to move and I heard the other girl's voice. _… Hi… um hi… uh na… Jack Skellington is on the phone… I need to go lie down… where are my meds…_

I was taken back; somehow Will's odd little box possessed some sort of magical power. It reminded me of when the witches used a special potion to peer at the human world through their cauldron. I needed to know how it worked.

**XXX**

(Will's POV)

I couldn't help but laugh at Jack's expression as he pondered over my cell phone. For me it was just a standard I-phone 4, but to him it was something new. Then I remembered _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ had been made in 1993, so clearly a 90's character would be fascinated with a device from 2012.

"Ally you don't need meds, or a nap," I laughed, "but yes, I'm with Jack and it's freaking awesome."

_I… I'm sure it is… my mind is… boggling. Boggling I tell you! Um… how did you get there…_

Before I could answer her, my phone was snatched from my hands. "Hey!"

Jack had my phone and started twisting it this way and that, studying it. I tried to make a grab for it but darn it, the guy was so freaking tall. Even standing on my seat wasn't enough. Just how tall was Jack anyway; six, seven feet tall? Either way I had no way to retrieve my phone.

"Jack! Give me back my phone," I yelled.

"How is it that I can see your friend here?" he asked, still not relinquishing my phone.

"It's a special apt on my phone," I told him.

"I have no idea what an apt is, but I know what a phone is, and this is **not** a phone."

"Well you see it's sorta… it's called a cell phone. It works like any ordinary phone, only there's no cord. As to how you can see Al right now, that's kind of like a…" I had no idea how to explain this. "… uh… a witch's glass! yeah that's it. Al and I have a witch's glass in our phones. She's at home with her own glass, and she's talking to me."

_Yeah! And stop tilting and spinning the dang thing! You're making me seasick,_ Al shouted from her end of the conversation.

That seemed to satisfy the skeleton's curiosity. Jack handed me back my phone and I looked back at Al. "Look Al, not sure this is the best time to talk. Can I call you back later?"

_You better call back!_ She then gestured for me to come closer so she could tell me something I guessed she didn't want Jack to hear._ I'm going to plug the movie in and see if I can see you!_

I hadn't thought of that. What if people who were watching right now could see an added character? "Before that, check ABC Family first. I was watching it there when I last called you."

_Will do my captain! Oh and boney butt,_ she yelled so Jack could hear her,_ Take care of my girly. If she gets hurt, so help me Snape, I will Bertha you!_

She hung up then and I was left with a very confused Jack.

"What did she mean by she'll 'Bertha' me?" he asked.

"Its better if you don't know," I said. "Sorry if she said anything offensive. Al can get carried away when she's excited, but I love her like a sister."

Jack looked like he was going to say something, but then thought better of it. Personally, I'm just glad he didn't ask how Al knew about Zero. I think the whole Bertha thing threw him off. Soon we were heading back out and on our way to Halloween Town.

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel:** I hope I did justice to Jack's character. He's so eccentric that I didn't want to make him sound serious, nor did I want to make him a totally Drama Queen. Oh, and for those of you who've read "Saved By Surprise", yes, Bertha is the same chainsaw Kitty uses on Johnny. Cosmic Horse chose the name for Kitty's chainsaw, and she's been using Bertha ever since.

**Jack:** Is my butt really that boney?

**Cosmic Horse:** Yes, you're a fricking skeleton ya numb skull.

**GodlyJewel:** Guys can we stick to the story, please?

**Jack:** I don't care and for your information my skull it's not numb! I can feel it just fine.

**Cosmic Horse:** *face palms and hangs head in defeat*

**GodlyJewel:** Can someone help me, please? *****something crashes in the background***** Hey! Play nice you two! *****diabolical laughter heard from Al, also the sound of a rather large chainsaw***** Oh no! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! As for you readers, get to the next chapter, QUICK!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Welcome to Halloween Town**

(Narrator's POV)

Back in Halloween Town everyone had been frantically searching for their missing leader. The Mayor had everyone double checking all the known haunts the Pumpkin King was known to be. They were now all resting in the Town Square. The Mayor was lying on top of his hearse, his hat off to the side. Others were gathered around: the Vampire Brothers were leaning on the side of the car under their umbrellas, while the witches sat inside the hearse. The Mayor's face was solid white with yellow eyes and blue frowning lips.

"Did anyone think to dredge the lake?" the Mayor asked pitifully.

"Ah, this morning," one of the vampires yawned.

"Ruff! Ruff!"

"Here that?" the big witch asked.

"What?" the smaller witch asked. The first witch shushed her friend and put her hat to her ear in an attempt to get a better fix on the sound.

The sound got louder and suddenly Zero flew through the bars of the gate as they opened up. Following right behind him was none other than his owner, Jack Skellington. The crowd cheered as he rode in on his snowmobile and pulled up in front of the Mayor's hearse. He stopped the vehicle and removed his goggles.

Upon seeing Jack the Mayor's face spun around to reveal a peach face with one black eye and one swirled eye and a bright red smile. "Where have you been?" he asked.

"Call a town meeting and I'll tell everyone all about it," he answered.

The Mayor's face spun around to reveal his nervous face. "When?"

"Immediately!" Jack was so excited that he stood up from his seat. Everyone began murmuring about what it was that Jack could possibly want to tell them. That's when the Corpse Kid noticed Jack wasn't alone.

"Hey who's that?" He pointed at the girl and her dog sitting behind Jack. The girl had pale skin and blue eyes, and her long strawberry-blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail. She had on strange clothing; the most obvious was her purple bat jacket.

Jack turned around and smiled. "Everyone, I'd like you to met a new friend of mine. This is Will. As you probably noticed, Will is a human. She's going to help me with what I've got planed for the town meeting."

After getting over the shock of seeing real life monsters Will stood up and introduced herself. Even standing up she was much smaller than Jack.

"Hey everyone, nice to meet you. Like Jack here said, my name is Will. And this little devil here is my dog, Mogwai. Funny thing, his name actually means 'little monster.'" She laughed, hoping to break the awkward tension.

Many of the citizens were surprised that the human wasn't scared to death of them. Usually girls were the easiest to scare but this human seemed generally thrilled to be in the presence of the Halloween citizens. Though no one mentioned it, they all thought it was strange that the Pumpkin King would bring a human girl back to Halloween Town. Still, they thought perhaps she would be used as a demonstration for a new scaring technique.

The Mayor, being the elected official, climbed down from his hearse and approached the snow mobile. He had his face turned to the more positive emotion and reached out his hand. "Welcome to Halloween Town Miss Will. We hope you have a terrible time."

"I'm sure it will be truly dreadful Mayor," Will replied. Being an NBC fan she knew the lingo the Mayor used was just Halloween talk for welcoming her to town. After that the rest of the citizens began greeting Will before heading off to their homes to get ready for the meeting.

"Well we better get ready. Oh I'm so excited for their reaction," Jack exclaimed as he started up the snowmobile.

"Jack, do we really need all this stuff?" Will asked. "Maybe we should take what we need and then drop the rest off at your house."

"Hmm, good point. Best not to overwhelm them with everything at once."

With that Jack turned from the Town Hall toward his home. He parked the snowmobile outside the gate and then he and Will began unloading the Christmas items into the house. It was a long walk since Jack's house was so tall, just like him.

The last thing Will carried inside was her pack. Placing her pack in the living room Will let out a grunt. "I hope you got everything you need for the presentation. My legs are killing me. Man I'm happy mom got that StairMaster."

"Yes, everything else is ready to go." Jack turned to leave but stopped when he noticed Will wasn't following. "Aren't you coming?"

"Yeah but I'm worried about Mogwai. I can't take him to the meeting, but I'm not sure about leaving him alone in you house," Will replied as she nervously watched her dog sniff around the living room. "I mean, you did offer to let us stay here and all, and I don't want Mogwai to ruin anything."

"Oh I wouldn't worry," Jack said, "besides he's got Zero so the two can keep each other company, not to mention Zero will make sure they stay out of trouble."

Will thought it over and then agreed. She said her goodbyes to the dogs before following Jack outside.

**XXX**

_Town Hall: Backstage..._

(Will's POV)

"Well that's everything Jack," I said as I sat down. "Question: Where did you get the Christmas Town backdrop?"

Before Jack could answer the Mayor called him from behind door. "Jack! You ready?"

"Just a minute Mayor," Jack called back. Then he turned back to me. "Well its almost time. Would you like to assist me Will?"

"Nah, I think I'll just watch. Maybe if there are any questions at the end I'll come up and answer the ones you can't." I got up to slip out the side door. I just grabbed the doorknob when I remembered something. "Hey Jack, try not to get carried away out there, ok? Stick to what I told you and DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING."

"Of course, I just know they're going to love it!"

I nodded and then headed out the door. I knew Jack wouldn't keep his word, but it didn't bother me. All that mattered now was finding a place to sit. I made my way to the back and, since my attention was focused on other things, I didn't see the person in front of me and we collided.

"Oh sorry, sorry," I quickly apologized.

"It's alright." That voice, I'd know it anywhere. I looked up to see a blue skinned woman with royal blue stitches and long red hair. Thankfully I didn't have to look up as high since I reached to just about her shoulder (unlike Jack, who I barley reached his ribs). She wore a colorful patchwork dress, black and white socks, and black high-heeled shoes. Standing in front of me was none other than Sally, the rag doll invented by Dr. Finklestein. "Are you new to Halloween Town? I don't get out often, but I haven't seen you before."

"No, I just got here. Actually I came into town with Jack. He asked me to help him with this thing he's presenting to everybody. I guess you weren't in the Town Square when everyone practically mobbed the poor guy."

She chuckled. Of course I knew that Sally had heard about Jack's disappearance and slipped Old Finklestein some Deadly Nightshade in his soup. She couldn't even sneak out until he was passed out over his lab table. But I wasn't about to tell her that.

"I'm Sally by the way," she introduced herself.

"Oh I know who you are."

"You do?" she asked.

_Nice job Will_, I scolded myself. I quickly thought up an excuse. "Oh, ah... Jack told me about you."

"He did?" she asked in a surprised voice.

"Oh yeah," I told her. "He said you were one of the nicest people in town. Although you're defiantly prettier than he told me."

If it were possible Sally would have blushed. Instead she looked shocked then twiddled her fingers, finding the floor very interesting all of a sudden.

"Guess he doesn't say that often. I'm Will by the way."

"It's very nice to meet you," she said looking back at me.

"Well we should find our seats," I said, "looks like they're getting ready to start."

We looked around and saw most, if not all, the seats had been taken. Then Sally walked over to the Hanging Tree. She asked if he would mind if she and I could sit in his branches. He was fine with it; even his Hanging Men didn't seem to mind. Sally climbed up first and I followed behind.

"Thanks again dude," I whispered once I was settled on a firm branch. I was sitting between two Hanging Men and tried not to hit either of them with my feet.

"You're quite welcome," he whispered back. The Hanging Men I sat between looked up at me and gave me a thumb's up.

Then Jack appeared. "Listen everyone!" The room quieted down and focused their attention on Jack. "I want to tell you about… Christmas Town."

The Mayor shone a spotlight on Jack. Somehow it didn't surprise me when he suddenly broke out into song.

_JACK_

_There were objects so peculiar_

_They were not to be believed_

_All around, things to tantalize my brain_

_It's a world unlike anything I've ever seen_

_And as hard as I try_

_I can't seem to describe_

_Like a most improbable dream_

_But you must believe when I tell you this_

_It's as real as my skull and it does exist_

_Here, let me show you_

He pulled on the rope and drew back the curtain to reveal the stage we'd set up. Jack had found a backdrop that looked just like the outskirts of Christmas Town: snowy hills and little house where the elves lived. In the center was a thin tree decorated to look like a Christmas tree, with lights and ornaments. Of course it was dead so we used a cut-up wreath to create the illusion of a living tree. Then we had set a couple of presents under the tree and on two stools there were a present and a red stocking with white trim. These were the two examples Jack wanted to use first. You should have seen what was left back at Jack's house.

Everyone seemed thoroughly impressed as everyone marveled at all the items on stage. I peeked over and watched as Sally leaned forward to get a better look. I giggled at her excitement before looking back at Jack. After letting everyone take in the sight, Jack picked up a present that was sitting on a stool.

_JACK_

_This is a thing called a present_

_The whole thing starts with a box_

_HARLEQUIN DEMON_

_A box?_

_DEVIL_

_Is it steel?_

_WEREWOLF_

_Are there locks?_

_HARLEQUIN DEMON_

_Is it filled with a pox?_

_DEVIL_

_A pox_

_How delightful, a pox_

_JACK_

_If you please_

_Just a box with bright-colored paper_

_And the whole thing's topped with a bow_

_WITCHES_

_A bow?_

_But why?_

_How ugly_

_What's in it?_

_What's in it?_

_JACK_

_That's the point of the thing, not to know_

Suddenly the Clown snatched the present from Jack's hand with a mechanical hand.

_CLOWN_

_It's a bat_

_CREATURE UNDER THE STAIRS_

_Will it bend?_

_CLOWN_

_It's a rat_

_CREATURE UNDER THE STAIRS_

_Will it break?_

_UNDERSEA GAL_

_Perhaps it's the head that I found in the lake_

Jack managed to retrieve the present back from the clown.

_JACK_

_Listen now, you don't understand_

_That's not the point of Christmas land_

He placed the present on the stool before picking up the stocking.

_Now pay attention_

_We pick up an oversized sock_

_And hang it like this on the wall_

_MR. HYDE_

_Oh yes! Does it still have a foot?_

_MEDIUM MR. HYDE_

_Let me see, let me look_

_SMALL MR. HYDE_

_Is it rotted and covered with gook?_

_JACK_

_Hmm, let me explain_

_There's no foot inside, but there's candy_

_Or sometimes it's filled with small toys_

_MUMMY AND WINGED DEMON_

_Small toys_

_WINGED DEMON_

_Do they bite?_

_MUMMY_

_Do they snap?_

_WINGED DEMON_

_Or explode in the sack?_

_CORPSE KID_

_Or perhaps they just spring out_

_And scare girls and boys_

_MAYOR_

_What a splendid idea_

_This Christmas sounds fun_

_Why, I fully endorse it_

_Let's try it at once_

A floorboard cracked and fell slightly hinged where it snapped, causing the Mayor to slip and knock the spotlight. It spun and twirled until the Mayor straightened himself and brought the light back on Jack.

_JACK_

_Everyone, please now, not so fast_

_There's something here that you don't quite grasp_

I could hear the crowd murmuring stuff like "I don't know" and "You get it?" It was clear the monsters and ghouls couldn't grasp that Christmas was all about joy and good will, not thrills and chills. The only ones who seemed to like this presentation, besides Jack, were Sally and I. I looked over to where Jack stood. I knew what he was thinking; he was going to forget what I said and "give them what they want." The crowd settled down once more.

_JACK_

_And the best I must confess, I have saved for the last_

_For the ruler of this Christmas land_

_Is a fearsome king with a deep mighty voice_

_Least that's what I've come to understand_

_And I've also heard it told_

_That he's something to behold_

_Like a lobster, huge and red_

_And sets out to slay with his rain gear on_

_Carting bulging sacks with his big great arms_

_That is so I've heard it said_

_And on a dark, cold night_

_Under full moon light_

_He flies into a fog_

_Like a vulture in the sky_

_And they call him, Sandy... Clawssss...!_

The crowd cheered and praised Jack for the display as the curtain closed on Jack. They all loved his display of the bone chilling terror the new holiday entailed. Of course Sally and I both knew Jack had changed that last part.

When the curtain closed and the cheering died down everyone started leaving. Sally climbed down from her spot and I jumped down to the floor. We thanked the Hanging Tree and his men again, and then we made our way outside. I had to help Jack pack up the presentation since he didn't get to use everything he'd brought, but I wanted to chat with Sally some more. So instead of heading backstage, I walked with Sally to the front of Town Hall.

"Well that was... interesting," Sally said.

"You know he made up all that stuff in the end, right?" I asked.

"Yes", she sighed. "I know why he did it, but I would've like to know what this Sandy Claws was really like."

"First off his name is Santa Claus, C-L-A-U-S, not Sandy Claws, C-L-A-W-S," I explained. "Easy mistake. Second, I can help you understand it. Jack took... ah, borrowed a bunch of Christmas books from Christmas Town. You can come over and borrow some if you'd like."

"Oh, I couldn't do that."

"Why not? Jack won't mind and I like to see you again," I said. "Actually, I'm staying with him so I can help him understand what Christmas is all about."

"Really?" She pondered the idea. I guess the idea of having someone else there would break the awkward tension between the two. She smiled. "I would like–"

"**SALLY!** There you are!"

We turned around and saw an extremely ticked off Dr. Finklestein headed our way. He was being wheeled over by his lab assistant, Igor, and had an ice bag on his head. I would've laughed if he weren't snarling at Sally.

"You wretched girl, I'll show you to poison your creator!" he yelled when they were finally in front of us. He grabbed Sally's arm and started to drag her away. "I don't know how you slipped that accursed plant past me, but from now on you'll be watched constantly and you are **never** leaving the lab again."

And this is why Finklestein was one of my least favorite characters. I marched over and stood in his path. "Hey! In case ya didn't notice, she's a person, not a piece of property. You can't just lock her up and make her do whatever you want."

Dr. Finklestein didn't see it that way. "Out of my way you brat! Sally is my creation and she will do as I say."

Okay, he had a point on the creation thing, but Sally was a living being. No one deserved to be treated like that especially someone as sweet as Sally. I felt my temper rise and I just let him have it.

"Now listen here, Doc. I get that you made Sally and all, but that doesn't mean you can just hang that over her for the rest of her life. She's not a machine or some scared little kid you think isn't ready for the outside world. Whether you like it or not she's a grown woman with a mind of her own. You can't keep her locked up in a tower, only to let her out to do **your** housework. **It's not right!** For Pete's sake she's practically your daughter when you think about it. And you treat her like this!? Unbelievable!"

The looks on Dr. Finklestein and Sally's faces were something to see. Sally looked completely shocked by my daughter remark. As for Finklestein, it was shock, then he looked about ready to explode. I could see he wanted to argue, but I wasn't done yet.

"And here's some advice. Next time you want your own personal slave, either a.) don't create a woman, or b.) hire a housekeeper or buy this new little device called a vacuum. I think the latter works more in your favor."

Needless to say the doctor didn't take to kindly to that. I knew he was mad because his top lip was twitching in frustration. He looked like he wanted to let me have it, but nothing came out of his mouth. So he just growled at me and stormed off, Sally in tow. No doubt he was going to take it out on her but that jerk had it coming. I watched as they walked (and wheeled) away when unnoticed by her creator, Sally turned and looked back at me. She mouthed "Thank you" before Finklestein gave another yank on her arm, and dragged her away. A small smile tugged at my lips. No doubt anyone had stood up for her like that.

I decided to head back inside. I made my way backstage and found Jack staring at a snow globe with a little snowman inside. Nothing had been packed up yet. I walked up and stood right behind him. "Hey Jack."

"Aaaaah!" I swear Jack jump three feet in the air. He turned around with his hands griping the table and stared at me with wide eye sockets in disbelief. I on the other hand, couldn't stop laughing. I had to grab my sides because they were starting to hurt.

"Oh man," I laughed. "Did I seriously just scare you? Ha!"

"I, I wasn't scared," he scoffed. "I was just... surprised is all."

"Sure you were," I smirked and pointed at him. "Admit it, I scared you and you know it. Best part: wasn't even trying." I laughed more and did a fist pump. "Ha! I just pulled a ninja on the Pumpkin King."

After a minute even Jack saw the humor in it and chuckled as well. "Alright, you got me. But if I had not been distracted you would be the one terrified. You should never sneak up on the Master of Terror."

"Whatever you say Jack. Now how bout we pack this stuff up and head back."

He agreed and we started packing up the stuff.

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel:** Whew, think Willa will get away with talking/yelling at Doctor Finklestein like that? I bet many of you readers have wanted to tell him off at one point or another. Not trying to hate on any Finklestein fans, or anyone who writes him with a soft side. I always saw him as the mean creator, but I can also see him as overprotective. Still doesn't give him the right to treat Sally the way he does.

On a lighter note, how funny was it for a mortal to scare Jack? That had to be my favorite part so far. Oh but just wait for what's to come; I got a few more plans in store. *****evil grin*****


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Sleepover at Skellington Manor**

(Will's POV)

Once we were back at Jack's house, he decided to put up some of the decorations. And by some, I mean **all** of them. We hung lights, garlands, and even redecorated the dead tree. The other stuff we just stacked wherever it would fit. By the time we were done I had flopped on the couch. Sheesh, you'd think he needed everything up in one night.

Mogwai and Zero entered the room and started to explore the new findings. Noticing I was on the couch, Mogwai jumped up and started sniffing my hair.

"Mo get outta here." I nudged him away before sitting up. I stretched before sinking back into the couch. "I never want to see another ornament again."

Jack chuckled. "Now that wasn't so bad and look at how nice everything looks." He looked around the room before noticing the clock. "My its late. You should probably head off to bed."

"Jack, normally I'd argue that I'm eighteen and haven't had a curfew since Jr. High, but I'm WAY too tired."

I sat up and noticed he had a glum look on his face. "I apologize for not offering you a room, but I don't actually have a guest room. I never had an overnight guest before either."

"No big, the couch is fine," I assured him. In truth it wasn't all that bad. His couch was ebony and slightly thin, but there was enough room for me to stretch out and even sleep on it.

"Well I'll just get you a blanket and a pillow."

I tried to tell him it want necessary but it was too late. Jack went upstairs to his room, leaving me to set myself up on the couch. I grabbed my pack and undid my sleeping bag from it. I spread it on the couch and then placed my pillow on it. Then I started looking for my toothbrush. I found it just as Jack walked back into the room with the blanket and pillow. He walked over to the couch and set down the items he carried.

"You really didn't have to do that Jack," I said. "I already had sleep gear with me."

"Well I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable," he said, ever the gentleman.

"Hey, is there a place I can brush my teeth or do I have to use the kitchen sink?" I asked.

"The bathroom is down the hall, first door on the left." He pointed in the direction he'd indicated. I almost asked why a skeleton needed a bathroom, but decided against it. Heck, it could've been for guests for all I knew. This was Halloween Town, a place where monsters you associate with stories and horror movies live. Anything could happen.

I found the bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth before heading back to the living room. Jack was looking through some of the Christmas books. Apparently he'd taken the opportunity to change into his pajamas while I'd gone to brush my teeth. Basically he now wore a long, dingy brown nightshirt and matching pants. On his head he wore a matching nightcap with a tassel that dangled to one side. I started laughing.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm sorry Jack, but I just can't take you seriously right now," I pointed toward his nightcap. "That hat is just to freaking adorable." It took everything in me not to stand up, walk over, and start to bat at the tassel like a cat.

If it were possible Jack would've blushed, but I could've sworn I saw him blanch a little. I guess he realized how un-terrifying he looked in his cute little pajamas.

"Finding anything good?" I asked once I'd caught my breath.

"There so many I wish I knew where to start," Jack said as he pulled out a copy of _The Night Before Christmas_. I tried to hold back a giggle at the irony of it. Luckily Jack didn't seem to notice. Finally he decided to just take the box upstairs and read them all.

"And I thought I was the book nerd. Are you really going to read all those in one night?" I asked.

"Of course." He turned to head back up the stairs to his bedroom. "Pleasant nightmares Will," he called down.

"Same to you Jack," I called back. When I heard his bedroom door shut I settled myself in my makeshift bed. As I laid down on my back, I thought over the day's events. I still just couldn't believe that I was in Jack Skellington's house of all places. Part of me thought I was just dreaming and that I'd wake up tomorrow and remember this a wishful dream. Yet the other part just wanted to scream out at how utterly cool this was.

Just as I got myself comfortable, Mogwai jumped up on the bed and snuggled up to my side. Normally I wouldn't mind him sleeping next to me, but seeing as how we were on a couch that barley fit myself, I knew I'd be in for a long night.

"Mogwai, move over!"

**XXX**

(Jack's POV)

The sound of the rooster outside my window woke me out of a dreamless sleep. I honestly couldn't remember what time I had finally gone to sleep. I just remember looking through a few books: _Santa's Workshop_, _A Christmas Carol_, and _Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer_. None of these books held the answers to my questions. I even looked about my room at the decorations: garlands on the gargoyles, lights on the spider webs, and little Zero asleep in his bed with a "candy cane" in his mouth, and bells on his collar. There just had to be a logical way to explain this Christmas thing.

Finally I decided to consult the one book I could always find answers to: _The Scientific Method_. I guess I had fallen asleep while reading it because I woke up with the book covering my eyes. From what I read I need to look further into each Christmas item I had. There was only one person in Halloween Town who could help me.

I quickly changed into my usual suit and headed downstairs. Luckily Zero was still asleep. I made my way to the living room when I tripped over something, causing me to fall and land on the floor.

"Oww!"

I looked over my shoulder to see a large form sticking out from under my coffin table. It began to move and suddenly a blonde head emerged, and I was met with two tired, angry blue eyes.

"There'd better be coffee or someone's gonna pay," she hissed. I had almost forgotten I had a guest in my house.

"Will, what are you doing on the floor?" I asked as I got up off the ground. Will crawled out from the blue sack she was in and rubbed her eyes. Her hair was a mess and her face was a mixture of exhaustion and anger; she did not look happy.

"Stupid dog booted me off the couch," she groaned, "so I got stuck here." She stretched to crack her spin and smoothed down her hair. "Sorry for snapping at you Jack, but I am no early bird. Anyway, what are you doing up at" she turned to look at the clock "six thirty? Eww."

"I was just on my way to see Dr. Finklestein. The books didn't give me the answers I was looking for. If I'm to learn anything about Christmas I need to conduct a series of experiments."

"Why?"

"How else am I to work out the mechanisms of these strange objects." I gestured to the Christmas decorations.

"Whatever," Will said. "So you're just heading out without breakfast or a coffee, or something? You do eat right?"

Honestly I hadn't even thought about anything besides getting to the doctor's lab. Plus, since I'm a skeleton I don't really eat much. Will, however, was human and needed food. Some host I was. I decided to head to the kitchen and see if I had anything suitable to serve. I was looking in the refrigerator when I noticed Will's presence behind me.

"Hmm, looks like I need to head over to the Witches' Shop."

"Hey as long as it's not Snake and Spider Stew, I'll try just about anything," Will said. "All I really need in the morning is a cup of coffee and I'm good to go."

I closed the refrigerator door and looked over at her. "Well, I don't have either of those things."

Will let out a frustrated sigh. Then I noticed she seemed to be getting an idea. "You took a lot of stuff from Christmas Town right? You wouldn't happen to have pinched some food by any chance?"

"I think so," I said. "They would be in that box over by the cupboard."

Will walked over to the place I indicated and began rummaging through the box. Suddenly she paused before getting a big grin on her face. She pulled out a small white package.

"_Yata_!" she exclaimed.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Oh boy Jack, are you in for a treat. Do me a favor and warm up some water and get two mugs."

I did as she asked. I boiled some water on the stove and was about to pour it into the cups when Will stopped me.

"Not yet."

She then took the cups over to the counter. She ripped open the package she found and dumped the contents into each of the mugs. Inside the package had been a strange brown powder. I continued to watch as Will then took the pot of boiled water and poured it into both cups. Next she had me get her a spoon. I retrieved the utensil and Will used it to stir the mixtures in the cups. When she was done she handed one cup to me and took the other one for herself. She blew on the top before taking a sip.

"Mmm, this is some premium stuff for being powdered," she said.

"What is it?" I looked down at the strange brown drink. It was very warm and I noticed that my kitchen suddenly smelled like chocolate.

"It's cocoa, otherwise known as hot chocolate. It's a drink served in the winter months, especially around Christmas time," Will explained. "Kids love it and so do many adults."

I gave her a skeptical look before bringing the warm liquid to my mouth. I took a sip and, while it was quite delicious, I had neglected to remember the drink was very hot.

"Oww, ot, ot!" I quickly set the cup down and fanned my tongue.

"Let me guess, you burned your tongue?" It was more of a statement than a question. "Should of warned you. Sorry."

"No poblum." I really hoped this would where off soon. I couldn't go to the doctor's talking like this. How embarrassing would that be?

"Hey I know what will help. Wait right there." Will put her cup on the counter and then walked out of the room. When she came back she had two of those candy cane things in her hand. She handed one to me and then put the other one in her cup and started to stir with it.

"Wa are ou doin?" I asked.

"Just try it," she insisted. "Besides this will give your tongue a break while the cocoa cools."

I'm not sure what it was supposed to do, but I copied her. Just when I was about to ask what the point of this was I watched Will and, to my surprise, half her candy cane was gone. Will didn't seem to find this surprising and licked off the drops of liquid from her candy before finishing her drink. I must have had quite the look on my face because when Will looked up she started laughing. I began to wonder how many times I, the Master of Terror, was going to make this human girl laugh.

"Stirring the cocoa with a candy cane not only helps the drink to cool down, but the heat from the cocoa makes the candy cane melt. Plus it also adds a nice flavor to the drink."

I looked down and pulled my own unquiet stirring stick out. Just as Will's had, the candy had melted to a fine point. I wanted to see if my drink had changed but made sure my drink had cooled. It had so I took a long drink. It was AMAZING! The minty flavor from the stick had blended into the chocolate liquid, making the taste simply marvelous.

"I though you'd like it," Will said. "So, you still gonna see old Finklestein?"

I finished my drink before answering. "Yes. I'm sure the doctor will have just what I need for these experiments. Actually, I should probably get going in case he's working on a project. Once the doctor gets his mind on his work, he cannot be interrupted."

"Okay, but two things before you go." Will set her mug down on the table. "One, you might want to get something to carry all that lab equipment in."

I should have realized that. I ran to the hall closet and found an old suitcase. It was small enough for me to carry, but had enough room for the equipment I needed. I went back to the kitchen and presented it to Will.

"Okay that works but seriously, did it have to match your outfit?" I looked down and noticed the pattern of my suitcase was identical to my suit.

"Well I should be going then. Please make yourself at home and I shall return shortly so we can get started." I left the kitchen and was about to open the front door when…

"Ah Jack?" Will called. I turned around. "You might want to wipe off that cocoa mustache before you go out," she giggled.

I was a little puzzled at first. Will tossed me a napkin and gestured that I wipe the cloth over my mouth. I did so and found a brown smudge. I was thankful I couldn't blush from the embarrassment I felt. So I thanked Will and headed out to the doctor's lab.

**XXX**

(Will's POV)

Well this was the beginning of a disaster. Jack was off to gather lab equipment to use science to understand Christmas. If only I could tell him it wasn't something you could understand with logic, but I didn't want to break any forth walls or anything. Plus it would be a pain to try and explain to Jack that he was just a movie character.

**[AN:** Not to mention the whole plot would be ruined no matter how infuriating this guy is. *****senses Jack in the back and turns with big innocent grin***]**

But that didn't mean I couldn't have some fun. Just before Jack could get to far I opened the door and got his attention. "Hey Jack?"

He stopped and turned around. "Yes."

"If you happen to run into your friend, Sally, could you tell her I said 'hi'."

He seemed surprised but then smiled and told me he'd be happy to do it. I waved him off and then closed the door. _Yes_, I thought, _that would make Sally's day._ Since Doctor Finklestein would be locking Sally in her room once Jack got there, I figured I cheer her up by having Jack stop by for a visit. Hopefully he would convince the old quack to let him see her.

With that out of the way I decided to get dressed and see if there was anything else in the Christmas food box I could eat. I rummaged through my pack and found many summertime clothes. Not good. Halloween Town was a Fall season; I'd freeze my butt off in this weather. Luckily I found one pair of pants at the bottom of the pack. I wore those and a dark purple short-sleeved shirt with a gothic cross and purple roses on it. Once I was dressed I took care of my face and brushed the tangles from my hair. Then I went back to the kitchen to scavenge for food. There wasn't much in the box: cakes, pies, and cookies. I'd almost given up when I spotted a box of Ginger Thins.

"Jack pot!" I grabbed a few of those and then sat down at the table. I had just eaten my third Ginger Thin when a loud, bloodcurdling scream filled the whole house. It startled me for a second until I realized it was Jack's doorbell. However, the sound had woken up Mogwai and he started panicking when it occurred a second time, followed by a few knocks on the door.

"Sheesh, who could that be?"

I grabbed another thin and went to the door to see who'd rung the doorbell. Sure enough, who else would it be, but the Mayor himself.

"Morning Will. I didn't expect to see you here," he said with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Yeah I'm bunking here while I help Jack with Christmas," I replied. "So let me guess, you're here to see him, right?"

"Ah yes. We never got a chance to go over plans for next Halloween. There's only 363 days left you know."

"Well, sorry to tell ya but he's not here. He left about fifteen minutes ago. Not sure when he'll be back, but I don't think you'll get much from him. The guy's pretty much focused all his thoughts on Christmas; I don't think he'll even consider doing anything else until he figures it out."

That made the Mayor's head spin around to his negative face. "Not think about... But Halloween is just around the corner. There's so much to do. How are we supposed to get ready without any plans? I can't handle this by myself!"

"Mayor take a chill pill," I tried to assure him. "I understand your stressed but you need to calm down. You're putting way too much pressure on all this. I know your whole town is responsible for ensuring a terrifying holiday each year, but you can take some time off. Maybe a month or two..."

"You don't understand! These things have to be planned months in advance. There's the planning, the decorations, practicing scaring techniques, knowing what scares children." He went on and on about everything Halloween Town needed to do. Frankly the guy was one big mess. If I didn't find a way to shut him up, I'd be here listening him complain and stress for hours. Finally I decided to just bite the bullet.

"Mayor," I interrupted. "Look, how about when Jack gets back I'll let him know you need to see him. I won't promise anything, but I'll try to get him to see the importance of preparing for Halloween, okay?"

That seemed to sedate him and his face turned to the happy one again. "Oh thank you Will. Well I'll be on my way." And with that he was gone. I smiled and waved then, once he was gone, I shut the door and sighed with relief.

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel:** Yikes! You think Will's bad when she's up at 6:30 am, you do NOT want to see what happens if someone wakes her up at four in the morning. Anyway hope this story is OK. If you're still reading this, thank you. If you got bored then I won't be mad if you decide to stop reading. I still would appreciate readers to R&R.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Experiments and Premonitions**

(Narrator's POV)

Jack started to make his way up the stairs to his house. His trip to the doctor's lab had been a complete success. When he had first arrived the doctor had seemed irritated, but his attitude lightened when Jack walked through the door.

* * *

**_~Flashback~_**

"_The door is open!" Finklestein had shouted. Jack walked in, but didn't see anyone._

"_Hello?"_

"_Jack Skellington. Up here my boy," the doctor called from the top of the ramp._

"_Doctor, I need to borrow some equipment," Jack said as he proceeded up the ramp._

"_Is that so. Whatever for?" Finklestein asked._

"_I'm conducting a series of experiments." When he arrived at the top he noticed Doctor Finklestein had an icepack firmly placed against his temple, but decided not to mention it._

"_How perfectly marvelous. Curiosity killed the cat you know."_

"_I know."_

"_Come on into the lab and we'll get you all fixed up."_

_From there Jack followed Doctor Finklestein into his lab. The mad scientist gave him a variety of lab materials for Jack to conduct a multitude of experiments. When he had all he needed Jack thanked the doctor, and was about to leave, when he remembered his promise to Will._

"_Doctor Finklestein, I was wondering if you could tell me where Sally is?"_

_The doctor growled. "She's not seeing anyone."_

"_Oh, why is that?" Jack asked._

"_The good-for-nothing girl! Don't know why I bothered creating her. I don't know what you wish to see her about, but I cannot allow it. She's not to come out of her room until she can behave."_

_Jack was surprised to hear this. Sally was such a charming soul. He couldn't even picture the sweet rag doll doing anything to upset anyone, especially her creator. But Finklestein, in a sense, was her father and only wanted what was best for her. He thought it best not to pry into family matters._

"_Well I just wanted to pass along a message," Jack said, "but I guess another time. Good day Doctor."_

_Jack left the laboratory and started to make his way down the drive when he noticed the upstairs window. From where he stood he could just barley see Sally staring out at him. He smiled and waved to her. She seemed surprised, and a little bashful, at being seen but Sally smiled and returned the gesture. Looking back to make sure he wasn't seen, Jack slipped over to Sally's window._

_From in her bedroom/prison Sally watched Jack. Already feeling guilty for being caught staring at him, Sally was even more surprised when Jack started coming toward her window. Looking back to make sure the doctor wasn't coming to check on her, she undid the latch and opened the widow._

"_Hello Sally," he called up to her._

"_Hello Jack, what are you up to?" she called back softly. "I heard you asking Doctor Finklestein about experiments."_

"_It's all apart of my plan. I just needed to borrow some of the doctor's equipment to see how Christmas works. By the way, Will wanted me to say 'hello' for her."_

"_Oh, well, that was thoughtful. Thank you Jack."_

_****__~Flashback~_

* * *

It had been wonderful seeing Sally, and he hoped Dr. Finklestein would allow her out of her room soon. He missed his conversations with his dear little friend. He had chatted with Sally a bit more before he had to get back to his house. As Jack got inside his home he wanted to get to work immediately. He walked into his house and was making his way to his study when he found a note stuck to the wall:

_Jack, if you're reading this then I'm still out. Had to take Mogwai for a walk. Should be back soon. ~ Will_

_P.S. The Mayor stopped by looking for you. Wanted to go over Halloween plans._

Jack put the note down then continued upstairs. "Zero, I'm home," he called out as he walked up the stairs to his tower. The little ghost dog woke from his nap at the sound of his master's voice.

Jack walked into his study and set his bag on the table. He took out all the equipment from the lab and decided to start with the microscope. The first thing he would examine was a holly berry. Using a pair of tweezers, Jack plucked one berry and placed it on an examination glass. He then placed it under the microscope and started to examine the berry. Unfortunately, Jack got too close and not only did he smash the holly berry, but he also broke the glass in two.

"Uh oh." He picked up the broken glass and was about to throw them away when he heard the front door open.

"Is that you Will?"

"Yeah it's me," she called from downstairs. "Sorry I didn't knock but Mogwai was getting antsy."

"Quite alright. Come on up here, I want show you something." In a few moments Will joined him in the study. She looked over the materials before her eyes spotted the microscope.

"Let me guess, you broke some glass." Jack was amazed that she had figured out what he'd been up to. That is, until he saw that he was still holding the broken glass in his hand.

"Yes…" he said nervously. "I was trying to examine one of these holly berries and it kinda broke."

Will sighed and shook her head before offering to help him clean up. Once the glass was disposed of, Jack and Will set to work performing different experiments. Jack performed the experiments while Will took notes.

First Jack tried an experiment with a candy cane he borrowed from Zero's bowl. He made up a chemical solution and attached a couple of wires to it. Then taking the candy cane in a pair of tongs (and giving it a quick lick), he placed it in the solution. He left it in there for about four seconds, but when he took it about he was puzzled. The candy cane had gone from hard and striped with white and red to a limp white piece of dough.

Next Jack tried making a snowflake out of paper. Using one of the patterns in a Christmas book, he folded and cut the paper. When he unfolded it, instead of a snowflake, Jack got a spider. However, when Will tried it she got a snowflake. This went down in her notebook.

Then Jack took a stuffed toy bear and a scalpel and cut open the bear's stomach. Then he used tweezers to remove a small piece of stuffing and examined it with a magnifying glass. After that, Jack wanted to figure out how Sandy Claws hid his claws from prying eyes. He didn't even notice Will rolling her eyes at the thought. Jack took a two-sided chalkboard and drew two pictures: one of Sandy Claws as he'd seen in pictures and the other was Sandy with large claws. He set the board a rotating platform and dimmed the lights. He set the picture in motion and watched as the pictures became a motion animation, the claws appearing to come out from under Sandy Claws' coat.

There were many more experiments, and Will started to lose track of time. While Jack prepared yet another experiment, Will was asleep in a chair with her notebook on the floor. Even Zero and Mogwai had gotten bored and were falling asleep. The two dogs watched as Jack took an ornament from the Christmas tree to his worktable, and crushed it into a solution. The mixture started to glow a bright green and flickered on and off. Jack was amazed.

"Interesting reaction! But what does it mean!?" He balled his hands to his fist and pressed them to the sides of his skull. If he had hair Jack would've pulled it out in frustration. He wasn't getting anywhere with his experiments. They either provided no answers or more questions.

While Jack was puzzling over his dilemma, across town in Dr. Finklestein's laboratory, Sally was busy with her own concoction. She had prepared a little basket with a fish bone and some salt and pepper. At that moment she was putting together a special drink for the basket. Her plan was to sneak out and deliver it to Jack. He had hardly come out of his house for days, and Sally had only seen glimpses of him through her window if Jack passed by his tower window. She was getting really worried about him.

Putting on the finishing touches, Sally corked the bottle and placed it in a basket. Making last minute tucks here and there, Sally attached a string from her sewing machine to the handle and brought it over to her window. She placed the basket on the floor while she opened the window latch. Once she had the window open Sally took the basket and slowly lowered it down to the ground below. When the basket was on the ground Sally took one last look at Skellington Manor. As she saw the flickering green glow from Jack's window her doubts about sneaking out disappeared and a smile spread across her face. Taking a deep breath, Sally jumped from her window and landed with a large thud.

The impact from the drop caused several of Sally's stitches to become undone. She lost both her legs, and her left arm, the hand unattached from her limb. For a few moments the rag doll lay motionless on the ground. Then she opened her eyes and smiled. Rising on her elbow, Sally looked back at her room before grabbing her dislocated limbs. Once she had them, Sally removed a needle she had hidden behind her right ear and took out a spool of thread from her dress pocket. She skillfully thread the needle one handed and reattached her limbs. Once she was repaired Sally returned her needle and thread. Then she got up to take her basket to Jack.

**XXX**

(Will's POV)

I slowly woke up and felt a crick in my neck. When did I pass out? The experiments weren't that boring. Then again I wasn't entirely sure how long we'd actually been working. Seeing my phone on the desk I grabbed it, and checked the time. At first I groaned because it was about midnight, but then I noticed the date.

_How in the halibut had we been experimenting for __**days**__?_ I thought. I sat up in the chair and cracked my spin. Looking around I saw the mess of Christmas experiments Jack and I had performed.

Speaking of Jack, I spotted him by a large chalkboard working on a math problem. Only the "math" problem was actually a bunch of Christmas items converted into an overcomplicated equation. He had just written a question mark on the board and was scratching his skull when...

_Tap tap_.

I watched as Jack walked over to the window and opened it to find a basket hanging from a rope. I perked up and watched in anticipation. This was only one of the cutest scenes in the movie: where Jack looks down and spots Sally as his midnight basket deliverer. It felt so weird watching this scene in real life as opposed to in a TV screen.

Jack waved down at Sally and brought the basket inside. He placed it on the table and took out the large corked bottle. He removed the cork and a smoke butterfly appeared from the bottle. Both Jack and I stared in awe until the butterfly disappeared. Jack then turned to the window but stopped. He looked around and then came back inside.

"So... who's the basket from?" As if I had to ask.

Jack grinned as he replied, "It was from Sally. She sent it up to my window."

I smirked. "That sure was sweet. I hope you thanked her for such a thoughtful gift, Mister."

"I didn't get a chance." His face fell. "She disappeared before I could."

"Well, why don't you go after her? She couldn't have gotten far, plus you really should thank her. After all she did come all this way; alone; at night; in the cold." I hoped he would pick up on my hints.

Sadly this did not happen. "She's probably half way home by now. And I wouldn't want to disturb her." He looked over just as I was giving him the are-you-kidding-me stare. "I promise I will thank her the next time I see her."

And with that he went back to work. I on the other hand knew that Sally had in fact not gone home, but instead was sitting right outside Jack's front gate. So I decided it was time for a break. I made that I was going to take the dogs for a walk. Mogwai was excited, but Zero decided to stay with Jack (that and the ghost pup was fast asleep).

Once I had Mogwai's harness on I snuck down to the front door and made my way outside. Mogwai was excited to be outside, but I wasn't out here for playtime. I walked us over toward the gate and there was Sally sitting on the ground staring at a dead twig. She didn't seem to notice my presence, that is, until Mogwai spotted her and pulled so hard on the leash that it slipped from my hands. Mogwai jumped up on Sally and she gasped from the shock.

"Oh Sally, I'm so sorry. Mogwai get down!" I dropped to her side and tried my best to grab the squirming pup. He was very intent on sniffing her hair. I finally got him and held him tightly while Sally recovered.

"Sally, I really am sorry. He just gets so excited meeting new people and forgets his manners, if he had any." I directed the last part at Mogwai.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Sally replied. "I've never seen a creature like him before. Is he yours?"

"Yeah the little spaz is mine. Sally, I'd like you to properly met Mogwai." I held him out for her to see. He sniffed her hand and gave it a small lick, prompting a giggle from Sally.

"So what are you doing out so late?" I asked. "It wouldn't have anything to do with a certain, special delivery, would it?"

Sally blushed and began twiddling the twig between her fingers. I chuckled and sat down beside her.

"Sally you are just too cute!"

"W-what do you mean?"

"Oh nothing... Just how you're completely twitterpated with Jack like some school girl with her first love."

Sally bowed her head and hugged her knees to her chest. "Is it that obvious?"

"Like an open book. But I guess I'm the first to point it out. Although the basket was a dead give away," I explained.

Then Sally started to whimper. It didn't sound like she was crying, but more like something was really bothering her. I quickly put Mogwai to the side and put my hands on her shoulders.

"Ah Sally, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. Sometimes I just open my mouth and blurt what's on my mind. Please don't be mad."

She sniffled a bit before she answered. "It's not that. It's just... I care about him so much, but I feel something terrible is going to happen."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She picked up the twig in her hands and told me. "I had a premonition tonight. At first it was beautiful and reminded me of the tree Jack presented at the Town Meeting. But when I tried to touch it, it burst into flames. Will, I don't know what it means and it frightens me. What if something happens to Halloween Town, or to Jack?"

I felt like I could kick myself. I knew her premonition meant that Jack was going to try and take over time Christmas, only to have the military blow him up with missiles. But if I told Sally that... Okay now I'm just repeating myself. But I couldn't let Sally feel this way. I just had to cheer her up, but how?

"Sally," I said making her finally look at me. "I believe you; something bad may be coming. While you may not be able to stop what's to come, you can try and prepare yourself and be ready when it happens."

"You think so?"

"Yes I do and I'll be right there to help you. That's what friends are for, right?"

She smiled and nodded her head. We talked for a bit until Mogwai bugged me about going back inside. I excused myself long enough to head back into Skellington Manner and got Mogwai settled. Then I grabbed a throw blanket off the couch and rushed back to Sally. She was falling asleep when I placed the blanket around her shoulders. Sally mumbled a thank you before falling into a deep sleep. Had she not gone to sleep I would've insisted she come inside. Instead I smiled and slipped back into the house.

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel:** Little Kingdom Hearts thrown in that Finklestein conversation. I hope I did justice to Sally. She really is a sweet character, but I don't want to make her seem like Fluttershy or anything. Also, in case any of you are wondering, yes the real Mogwai (aka Momo) likes to sniff people's hair. Don't ask me why, he just does.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Start of a Disaster**

(Will's POV)

The crow of the skeletal roster signaled the dawn of a new day. I felt so tired and had that bird not already been dead I would've throttled it. Once I'd gotten back inside Jack's house, he had me helping him with more experiments. I was supposed to find any hidden facts in the Christmas books and so far I had nothing. I glanced out the window to see a crowd gathering outside the gate. I couldn't help but mumble, "Something's up with Jack, Something's up with Jack."

I smiled until I caught Jack passing by me. He hadn't heard me, but he was pacing back and forth in front of the window. I knew what was coming next:

_Christmas time is buzzing in my skull_

_Will it let me be? I cannot tell_

_There are so many things I cannot grasp_

_When I think I've got it, and then at last_

Jack sat down at his desk where a house of cards had been built.

_Threw my boney fingers it does slip_

He took the final two playing cards and placed them at the top of the house, only to have the whole thing collapse. Jack sneered and knocked the cards to the side.

_Like a snowflake in a fiery grip_

_Something's here I'm not quite getting_

_Though I try, I keep forgetting_

_Like I memory long since past_

_Here in an instant, gone in a flash_

_What does it mean?_

_What does it mean?_

He walked over to where he had a few toys suspended in odd jars.

_In these little bric-a-brac_

_A secret's waiting to be cracked_

_These dolls and toys confuse me so_

_Confound it all, I love it though_

_Simple objects, nothing more_

_But something's hidden threw a door_

_Though I do not have the key_

He paused and picked up a little doll with twin blond braids tied with pink bows, and a white ruffled, pink trimmed dress. Jack seemed to study it as he continued:

_Something's there I cannot see_

_What does it mean?_

_What does it mean?_

He shook the doll as if it would answer. Instead it remained silent.

_What does it mean?_

_Hmm..._

He threw the doll over his shoulder and it landed in Zero's basket, waking the poor pup up. He looked lazily at his master with a worried expression on his face. Jack then walked over to the stack of Christmas books and pulled one from the pile.

_I've read these Christmas books so many times_

_I know the stories and I know the rhymes_

_I know the Christmas carols all by heart_

He walked down the short ladder and collapsed on the bottom steps.

_My skull's so full, it's tearing me apart_

_As often as I've read them, something's wrong_

_So hard to put my boney finger on_

I hadn't noticed when Zero had gotten up, but he was floating toward a dejected Jack. He held a picture in his mouth. It was of Jack as the Pumpkin King. Jack took it.

_Or perhaps it's really not as deep_

_As I've been led to think_

_Am I trying much too hard?_

_Of course! I've been too close to see_

_The answer's right in front of me_

_Right in front of me_

He got up and began dancing around the room. I had to admit; his dancing was more impressive than I'd seen before.

_It's simple really, very clear_

_Like music drifting in the air_

_Invisible, but everywhere_

_Just because I cannot see it_

_Doesn't mean I can't believe it_

_Uh oh_, I thought, _here it comes_.

_You know, I think this Christmas thing_

_It's not as tricky as it seems_

_And why should they have all the fun?_

_It should belong to anyone_

_Not anyone, in fact, but me_

_Why, I could make a Christmas tree_

_And there's no reason I can find_

_I couldn't handle Christmas time_

_I bet I could improve it too_

_And that's exactly what I'll do_

_Hee, hee, hee_

Jack laughed manically as he threw the switch and the Christmas lights exploded on the electric chair. He then raced to the window and threw it open.

"Eureka!" he shouted, drawing the attention of the whole town. "This year, Christmas will be — OURS!"

Everyone down below cheered at their Pumpkin King's brilliant plan. Everyone that is, except for Sally and myself. The next thing I knew, Jack was bustling about the room gathering numerous Christmas items.

"Jack, do you honestly think this is a good idea?" I asked.

"Oh yes, in fact it's brilliant. What better way to feel the joy if Christmas then to celebrate it."

"True but how about instead–" I was interrupted by a knock at the door. That seemed to happen a lot.

"Do you mind getting that Will?" Jack asked me.

"Sure, why not?" I muttered under my breath, although I already had a pretty good idea who it was. Sure enough, as soon as I opened the door the Mayor brushed past me and up to the study. I followed after the little man as he entered Jack's study.

"Jack this is marvelous, simply marvelous," the Mayor declared.

"Thank you, but just wait until you see what I've got planned. I guaranty that this will be one Christmas no one will forget!"

_You don't know the half of it_, I thought.

The next twenty minutes was spent with Jack explaining his plans to the Mayor. Jack had me write a list of all the things that needed to be done for Christmas, while the Mayor made a list of everyone one in town. Once that was accomplished, Jack and the Mayor went over who would be best to do what for Christmas. When the list was complete the Mayor left to let the citizens know they needed to gather at Town Hall to receive their Christmas assignments.

"So," I said once he was gone, "guess this means we should get this stuff over to Town Hall."

"Yes but there's just one more thing," Jack insisted.

"What?"

Instead if answering he fumbled around his study looking for something. He retrieved a pencil, paper, a red pen, and the picture Zero had brought him. Then Jack sat down at his desk and began tracing his picture.

When he was done he stood up and placed the picture in a trunk filled with Christmas items.

"Ready to go?" he asked me.

I sighed, "Give me ten minutes. You might be able to wear the same thing everyday, but I'd like to change."

**XXX**

"Maaaaaaa."

"What kind of noise is that for a baby to make?" asked one of the vampire brothers. It had been about an hour or so since we came to Town Hall, and Jack was all to happy handing out Christmas assignments. And right now he was having the vampires come up with a new design for a baby doll. Meanwhile the Mayor, who was covered in ink, was taking notes and marking off the citizens as they each received their assignments. I was standing by the overflowing trunk of Christmas items.

"Perhaps it can be improved?" Jack asked.

"No problem," they replied in unison before leaving.

"I knew it!" Jack cried cheerfully.

I waved the vampires off just as Doctor Finklestein wheeled himself onto the stage. I took the liberty of ducking behind the Christmas pile. If the old doctor saw me he'd most likely demand I tell him where Sally was.

"Doctor, thank you for coming." Jack turned and picked up _Santa's Workshop_ and flipped to the specific page of Santa and his flying reindeer to show the doctor. "We need some of these."

"Hmm…" studied the page, "Their construction should be exceedingly simple, I think."

"How horrible our Christmas will be! " the Mayor said with a smile as he looked up from his list.

"No," Jack said, causing the Mayor to switch to his unhappy face, "How _jolly_."

"Oh. How _jolly_ our Christmas will be," the Mayor repeated. He placed an ink-stained hand to his worried face, leaving a handprint on his cheek. I then counted down from three and suddenly two bones and a ball pelted the Mayor in the face. He growled over his podium to see who did it - then recoiled in fear when he saw three kids dressed as a witch, a devil, and a skeleton. "What are YOU doing here?"

"Jack sent for us," said the devil.

"Specifically," stated the witch.

"By name," added the skeleton.

I knew immediately who they were as the pulled off their masks and stated their names.

"Lock!"

"Shock!"

"Barrel!" He licked his lollipop before looking back at the rest of us.

The Mayor grabbed his megaphone and whispered to Jack. "Jack, Jack... it's - Boogie's boys!"

Jack knelt down as he greeted the kids. "Ahh... Halloween's finest **trick**-or-treaters... The job I have for you is top-secret. It requires craft, cunning, mischief."

"And we thought you didn't **like** us, Jack!" Shock said innocently, causing her and her cohorts to laugh.

"Absolutely no one is to know about it, **not a soul**! Now..." Jack then began to whisper his plan to the kids. Of course I knew it was to go and "retrieve" Santa Claus from Christmas Town. Still, it was fun to watch the Mayor attempt to listen through his megaphone. He then reached inside - and recoiled back in pain from having been bitten by a spider. He scowled at the arachnid before placing in back on his shirt collar, and patting it to resume its position as his necktie. I chuckled; he scowled.

By then Jack had explained all the details. The three prepared to leave, but Jack grabbed Lock's tall and jerked him back. "And one more thing - leave that no-account Oogie Boogie **OUT OF THIS**!"

"Whatever you say, Jack," said Barrel innocently.

"Of course, Jack," Shock said as she took a step back.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Jack," Lock included. The three hide their crossed fingers behind their backs and ran off, laughing. I sighed and shook my head. Apparently I hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Will, is something wrong?" Jack asked.

"You didn't check," I stated.

"What?"

I groaned and then looked him in the eye socket. "They had their fingers crossed behind their backs, you _baka_! And you didn't even seem to notice. How could you NOT notice?"

Jack gave me an utterly blank look resulting in me face palming myself. After the trio left, Jack spent the next few hours handing out more Christmas assignments. Finally we came to the town band. I knew what was coming when Jack asked me to hand him the jingle bells. "It goes something like this…" Jack then took the bells and played the first part of the chorus for "Jingle Bells". "How about it, think you can manage?"

The head inside the base answered. "A one and a two and a three and a…" The band began to repeat the tune Jack played for them. Only it was way off key and had a very macabre tone. As much as I wanted to cover my ears, I decided against it so not to be rude.

"Next," the Mayor called.

"Fantastic," Jack joyfully exclaimed. "Now why don't you all practice on that and we'll be in great shape."

I immediately perked up. I knew that after the band members left the stage, the next person would be…

"Sally!" Jack said as she approached the stage. She looked very nervous, although Jack was oblivious to it. "I need your help more than anyone's."

"You certainly do, Jack. I had the most terrible vision!"

"That's splendid!" Jack replied as he rummaged threw the trunk full of Christmas items.

"No - it was about your Christmas," she tried to explain. "There was smoke... and fire!"

"That's not **my** Christmas! My Christmas is filled with laughter, and joy... and this." Jack produced the sketched drawing of himself, only it had a piece of tracing paper over it with a picture of Jack dressed like Santa. "My Sandy Claws outfit. I want you to make it."

"Jack, please listen to me. It's going to be a disaster!"

"How could it be? Just follow the pattern." He held up design of outfit for her to see and pointed to different areas on the drawing. "This part's red, the trim is white." Oh how I wanted to hit him over the head and yell out, _She's not talking about the dang, freaking suit you IDIOT!_ But I held my tongue.

"It's a mistake, Jack!" she protested.

"Now don't be modest. Who else is clever enough to make my Sandy Claws outfit?" Jack led her off the stage before she could protest any further. "I have every confidence in you."

Sally walked away but I could hear her quietly to say to herself, "But it seems wrong to me… Very wrong."

I watched as she left in such a distressed state. I felt so sorry for Sally, but I was more annoyed with Jack. I turned around and saw him talking to the behemoth with the ax in his head. The skeleton was wrapped in his own little world. I seriously think his common sense was knocked out of his skull when he ran into the Christmas Town sign poll.

"This device is called a nutcracker," Jack explained as he showed the behemoth how the wooden toy worked until three small voices interrupted him.

"Jack! Jack! We caught him! We caught him!"

"Perfect!" Jack left the nutcracker in the behemoth's hands and ran over to Lock, Shock, and Barrel. "Open it up, quickly!"

The trick-or-treaters opened their very large sack, but instead of Santa Claus, a large pink rabbit popped out. He carried a brown basket filled with colorful eggs and wore a sash with 'Happy Easter' written on it. The Halloween citizens gasps as the rabbit began hopping around and exploring his surrounds.

"That's not Sandy Claws," Jack said.

"It isn't?" Shock said.

"Who is it?" Barrel asked.

"Well some people call him Peter Cottontail," I muttered to myself. Whether they heard me or not didn't matter, as long as Jack didn't ask what Easter was. I had enough to deal with Jack trying to steal one holiday. I watched as the Easter Bunny hopped to the front of the stage and started sniffing the behemoth.

"BUNNY!" the behemoth shouted, causing the poor Easter Bunny to squeal in terror and dive back into the sack.

Jack didn't seem too pleased and his frustration was taken out on the trick-or-treaters. "Not Sandy Claws. Take him back."

"But we followed your instructions," protested Lock.

"We went through the door," Barrel added.

"Which door?" Jack insisted. "There's more than one. Sandy Claws is behind the door shaped like this!" Jack reached into his jacket and pulled out a cookie shaped like a Christmas tree. Next thing anyone knew the three kids started fighting.

"I told you," Shock said as she strangled Lock. He retaliated by punching Shock in the face, causing her to fall to the ground. Then they stared punching and kicking each other.

Jack shook his head and slapped his palm against his forehead. When the kids still wouldn't stop fighting, Jack reached his fingers into the corners of mouth and pulled his mouth wide open and roared at the children. They gasped and instantly stopped fighting, Lock and Barrel trying to hide behind Shock. Even I cringed a bit; no matter how many times I'd seen this movie, this scene still freaked me out, but just a little.

Once the fighting stopped Jack returned to his normal demeanor to address the quivering bunny. "I'm very sorry for the inconvenience sir." Then he turned back to Lock, Shock, and Barrel. "Take him home first. And apologize again!" he warned. "Be careful with Sandy Claws when you fetch him, treat him nicely."

"Got it," answered Lock.

"We'll get it right…" Shock started to say. "Next time," the three said in unison and then left the Town Hall. Once they left Jack went back to work. He was speaking to the Mayor about something and his back was turned to me.

I still couldn't believe just how oblivious Jack was. He could be so infuriating sometimes! Watching the movie was one thing, but to be there while the plot actually happened was something else. Well, since I wasn't required anymore I decided to head outside. I really needed to get out; otherwise I'd go looking for something to hit Jack in the head with. I just couldn't take it any more. I didn't care anymore about keeping the plot going. No matter what, and without revealing what I knew, I was going to stop Jack from making the biggest mistake of his life.

The only question was, how?

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel:** I was having some writer's block so I decided, what the heck, I'll have Will help Sally stop Jack. How is she going to do it? You need to keep reading.

**Jack:** I can't wait to see everyone's designs for the improved Christmas toys, and I can't wait to see how the suit turns out. I don't know why Sally would doubt her sewing skills.

**GodlyJewel:** She wasn't talking about the STUPID SUIT YOU _BAKA_! *****Jack doesn't listen and leaves the room***** Grrr! Where's Al when I need her. *****storms off after Jack*****


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Mistletoe Mischief**

(Will's POV)

Okay, so coming up with a plan to stop Jack wasn't as easy as I'd thought. I'd been sitting on the Town Hall steps for at least half an hour, and I still hadn't come up with a plan. So far every idea I had ended up with me telling Jack the truth, and that was simply not an option. I thought about texting Al to see if she had any ideas when I noticed the commotion going on.

Out in the Town Square every creature was bustling about getting their workshops set up for the assignments Jack had given them. They all seemed really excited about making their own Christmas, and Jack was jus as hot for it. He'd come out of Town Hall a few minutes after I'd left, and was now helping here and there to get things ready. It was then I noticed Sally. It looked like she was trying to get Jack's attention, but every time she tried something, or someone, got in her way.

_Poor girl. Still trying to warn Jack about the downfall of his plans. If only Jack weren't so wrapped up in Christmas, maybe he would notice Sally's feelings and..._

I stopped mid-thought. That was it! That was the answer. I felt an impish grin creep over my lips; I had a plan. All I needed was a way to get Jack and Sally alone long enough for Jack's mind to become focused on something even better than Christmas.

**XXX**

(Narrator's POV)

That night at Skellington Manor Jack and Will were each working on plans for Christmas. Jack was studying on how to be a good Santa Claus, while Will was piecing together her plan to stop Jack. Suddenly they were both interrupted when the doorbell rang/screamed.

"I'll get it," Will called. She had been sitting in the living room, so she was the closest to the door. She made her way to the front door and opened it to find Sally standing on the porch. She had a notebook and a small measuring tape in her hands.

"Hi Sally, what are you doing here?" Will asked. _What luck_, she thought, _I need to get them alone and here Sally is. I wonder if her ears were burning_?

"Hello Will," Sally answered. "I just came by because, well I, I needed to, umm..."

Will smiled and asked, "You came to see Jack about something, right?" The rag doll nodded. "Well, come on in. Jack's upstairs but I'm sure he'll be happy to see you." Will led Sally inside and up the stairs to Jack's study. The door was closed so she knocked.

"Come in." The girls walked in and spotted Jack sitting next to a small stack of books that were mostly about Santa Claus. "Who was at the door Will?"

"I don't know Jack," Will smirked. "Why don't you turn around and find out?"

He turned around and his famous skeletal grin spread across his face. "Sally, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here on this frightful night?"

"Well Jack, I needed to ask you something earlier, but you were so busy I didn't get a chance to."

Jack stood up and addressed her. "Nonsense. I'm never to busy for you Sally. You can ask me anything."

Will bit back a giggle as Sally shuffled her feet and looked like she was going to blush before she spoke up. "Well I, I wanted to talk to you about your suit, Jack."

Jack sighed. "Sally, I told you, you can do this. You're the best seamstress in all of Halloween Town; no one else can do this job."

"That's not it, Jack. You see, you gave me the pattern for the design you wanted, but you didn't give me any... measurements."

Now it was Jack's turn to blush, or blanch in his case. How could he have forgotten such an important detail? It wasn't often he had Sally make him any clothes to wear. Usually whenever he came to her with a clothing project, it was to repair one of his suits. Meanwhile neither one of them noticed the devilish grin on Will's face. While the two had been talking, Will had spotted one particular Christmas decoration that would be the perfect way to execute her plan.

"Jack, Sally's right. If she is going to be able to have your suit ready, she'll need those measurements. Why don't you stand on that stool over there." Will pointed over to a lone stool. Jack complied and did as he was told.

"Great! Sally, you get your measurements and I'll get us some refreshments." Will walked out of the room to leave the couple alone, but then stopped. "Oh Jack, isn't there something you wanted to tell Sally? You know, about that _thing_ last night."

Jack nearly lost his balance on the small stool; he'd completely forgotten about Sally's special gift she'd given him. He had promised to thank her the next time he saw her, but instead he asked her to make him this suit. He glanced down at her and felt like he could kick himself. She had already started to take his measurements.

He cleared his throat. "You know Sally, I never got a chance to thank you for that lovely basket the other night."

"Oh it was nothing," she said, not even looking up from the task at hand. She had just written down the measurements for his pants, and was now moving to his torso.

"I would have to disagree. You put so much thought into," he paused while she lifted his right arm, "it, and it was so late. I'm sorry I didn't thank you before, but you vanished before I got the chance. Why did you leave so suddenly?"

"Please don't worry it. I knew you were busy, so I left so I wouldn't disturb you further."

"Not at all. It was a nice reprieve from my experiments."

Sally looked up at him and smiled, then returned to her task. She was just measuring his torso when Will returned with a tray full of treats. Jack was relieved because for reasons he couldn't fathom, the room seemed a little warmer than usual. Sally finished taking her measurements and Jack was able to step down from his perch.

"Well here we go, some warm cocoa and a couple Ginger Thins," Will cheerfully stated.

"Thank you Will, this is very thoughtful," Sally commented.

"My pleasure. Say, what's that?" Will's voice feigned ignorance as she pointed to the area just above Jack's head. Both the skeleton and the rag doll followed the girl's gaze. Sure enough, the two were standing under a tiny green plant with white berries and a red bow encircling the stem that hung from the ceiling.

"What is that Jack?" Sally asked.

"Why that's mistletoe," Jack explained. "It's a plant I brought back from Christmas Town. I forgot I'd hung it up there."

"Oooh, Jack, you know what this means," Will teased.

"Huh?"

Will crossed her arms as she mock scolded him. "Come on Bone Daddy, you were in Christmas Town. Don't tell you don't remember seeing a couple under the mistletoe. It's only one of the oldest Christmas traditions."

Jack tried to remember just what his friend was talking about. He thought and thought until it suddenly hit him. The first time he'd seen mistletoe was when he saw those two young elves hanging it up and then they… Jack froze and his eye sockets widen considerably. No, that couldn't mean he had to do _that_. Did it?

Sally however was left completely out of the loop. "What is this tradition you're talking about?"

Will got a very wicked gleam in her eye. This was just what she needed. She glanced at Jack who looked extremely uncomfortable at the moment. So Will played the scene as innocently as she could without revealing her impish intentions.

"Allow me to explain: Mistletoe happens to be a very popular tradition in the Human World nowadays. No one is exactly sure when it started, but most believe it began with ancient Druids, or something like that. It was also viewed as a sacred plant that brought goodwill and had special powers. Anyway, getting back to modern time, the plant is hung from the ceiling during Christmas time, and if two people are caught standing under it," she paused for dramatic effect, "they... kiss."

The last two words had Sally blushing pink and Jack blanching pure white. Sally had only ever dreamed of Jack kissing her, and to be presented with such an opportunity was both thrilling and frightening. Jack, on the other hand, felt like he'd been backed into a corner. It wasn't that he didn't like Sally. On the contrary, she was his dearest friend among the females in Halloween Town. What made it better as that she never fawned over him because he was the Pumpkin King; he could just be plain Jack around her. But the idea of kissing Sally felt like he was crossing a line in their friendship. Meanwhile, Will was trying very hard not to laugh at the couple's obvious discomfort.

When no one spoke Will decided to cut them a little slack. "While no one can get out of kissing someone under the mistletoe once they've been caught, you can get away with just a peck on the cheek. I mean, it is a sign of friendship and goodwill." She let the offer hang.

Jack sighed silently, feeling such a relief. Yes of course, just a simple peck on the cheek. There was nothing against that. Will just said it was a way of showing affection to a friend. He smiled and leaned down to place a quick kiss to the side of Sally's face. But it wasn't her cheek he kissed. While Jack had been pondering over the kiss, Sally had been having similar thoughts herself. In her mind she saw it as a way to show Jack she cared for him, while also secretly revealing her true feelings. She turned her head at the very moment Jack had leaned down. So instead of kissing her cheek, Jack's bony lips were now pressed against the corner of Sally's mouth.

The shock surprised both of them. They had both been caught off guard by the incident and neither could pull away. Sally was in a rapturous state at the feel of Jack's lips so close to her own. She wanted to angle her head so that he could have full access to her mouth, but she remained frozen to the spot.

Meanwhile Jack was dealing with his own shock. He was practically kissing Sally right on the mouth! It didn't help that her skin was very soft and in this position, her devil red lips were becoming very tempting. He mentally shook himself. How could he be thinking such thoughts?

Will, who'd been watching the entire time, barley suppressed a chuckled as she said, "Of course, another tradition states that if a couple in love exchanges a kiss under the mistletoe, it is interpreted as a promise to marry, as well as a prediction of happiness and long life."

Jack and Sally instantly pulled away from each other, and stood about two feet apart. Neither even noticing as the young girl bolted out the door, laughing all the way. They fell silent and an extremely awkward sensation began spreading throughout the room. Finally Sally took the liberty of speaking.

"Well… t-thank you for allowing me to kiss… **take** the measurements Jack. I, I should be able to finish the suit in no time."

"N-No problem, Sally." He still couldn't look her in the eyes. When another moment of pure silence befell the room, Sally said "Goodbye Jack," and left.

Once the door closed, Jack immediately snapped out of his shocked state. He felt so embarrassed about the accidental kiss and he didn't even apologize. Quickly Jack followed after her. He just made it to the living room when he was stopped just outside the hallway by the conversation Sally was having with Will. Sally was standing in front of the door and looked like she was about to leave.

"Sorry to put you through that Sally, but as soon as I saw the plant, I just couldn't help it," Will explained.

"That's alright Will," Sally said. "I just hope Jack didn't mind."

"I don't think you have to worry about that," Will chuckled, and then she noticed Jack lurking in the hallway. "Actually Sally, I was wondering, do you still need that blanket I loaned you? I should've told you before, but it actually belongs to Jack, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind. It's not like he's noticed it's missing."

"Oh, I almost forgot. I can hurry down to my work tent and get it if you like."

"Nah, you need it more. It looks like it's gonna get pretty cold tonight. Are you sure I can't convince you to stay."

"Oh no, I couldn't impose. Besides I'll be alright."

"What are you two ladies talking about?" Jack asked as he walked into the room. Both Will and Sally had been surprised by Jack's sudden appearance, but their latter reactions were completely different. Sally was very nervous. She still hadn't gotten over the "incident."

"I, I was just thanking Will for a favor she did me. It was nothing, really."

"I wouldn't call loaning a blanket to a friend on a cold night nothing," Will butted in. "Heck, if ya hadn't fallen asleep, I would've made you come inside last night. No one should sleep on the streets."

Sally instantly tried to shush Will, while Will insisted on talking. Neither of them seemed to notice Jack's blank stare. He was having a hard time believing what he had just heard. _Sally had slept outside on the street last night?_ He had assumed she'd gone home after giving him the basket. The thought of her shivering in the cold didn't sit right with him. But he was more curious as to why she wouldn't go back to Doctor Finklestein's.

"Sally, why would you sleep in the streets?" he asked.

Sally was getting more nervous. Jack didn't know she had to sneak out in order to go to town whenever she wanted, but it would devastate her to have to explain that she also drugged the doctor with Deadly Nightshade. She also didn't want to tell Jack that she'd snuck out last night, but she couldn't lie to him either. It wasn't in her nature, plus she could never be dishonest with Jack. She took a deep breath, ready to confess, but she never got the chance to explain.

"And why didn't you tell me about this?" Jack demanded from Will.

"Excuse me, but I did, _several_ times," she snapped. "I even wrote it down in my notes. But **somebody** was too preoccupied to listen."

Sally could see that the situation was becoming a little to tense, so she tried to calm Jack down. "Please Jack, it's alright."

Even Sally couldn't calm the angered Pumpkin King. "No it's not! I won't have anyone in my town sleeping in the streets, and I won't tolerate not being told about it." The last part was directed right at Will.

Will groaned. "Oh lighten up, Jack. Sally's fine. See, no harm done." Will tried to smile but it was clear that if she couldn't calm him down soon, heads would roll. Quickly she turned back to Sally.

"Maybe you should go," she whispered. "He looks like he'll burst into flames."

"I think you're right," Sally whispered back.

"Exactly, so see you to– HEY!"

Jack had picked Will up by the back of her shirt, and was carrying her off into the next room. "Excuse us Sally, but I need a word with Will."

"Jack Skellington put me down **right now**!" Will shouted. "Did you hear me? I said put me down! How are you even doing this? You have no freaking muscles!" That was the last thing Sally heard as Jack carried Will down the hallway before hearing a door shut.

**XXX**

(Jack's POV)

"PUT. ME. DOWN!"

I shut the door as Will continued to struggle before I let her go. She landed on her feet and glared at me. "What was all that about?" I demanded.

She crossed her arms and looked away from me. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Why didn't you tell me Sally was sleeping out on the streets?"

Will let out a sigh and turned around to look at me. I was surprised to see that her face was mixed with anger and… disappointment? What could possibly have brought that on?

"Jack, I honestly did try to tell you about Sally. Ten times in fact. I found her after I'd taken a break to take Mogwai for a walk and there she was, sitting on the ground, all by herself. We talked for a while and then I went inside to grab something warm for her, and invite her inside. When I got back she was asleep and I couldn't wake her up. I came back in to tell you, but each time I tried you brushed me off to work on your Christmas experiments."

I felt like crawling under a rock. How could I be so thoughtless? Will had tried to tell me what was going on and all I could think about were my experiments. If only I'd gone after Sally after she had given me the basket. If I had, I would have seen her out in the cold and insist she come inside, or I could have escorted her home. Just the thought of her in such discomfort saddened me. But there was something else that bothered me.

"But why would Sally sleep outside instead of going back home?"

"Whoa there, that's confidential buddy," Will retorted. "If you want to know, you'll have to ask Sally."

Okay, now I really wanted to know what was going on. Perhaps once I was done with Will I'd go and speak with Sally. But I had one more thing I needed to discuss with her. "You still haven't explained why you tricked us back in my study."

"Hey, not my fault you stood right under the mistletoe. I just happened to spot it." The tone in her voice wasn't convincing.

"Somehow I don't believe that. In fact, you were the one who told me where to stand so Sally could take my measurements. I think you knew exactly where it was and made it so that Sally and I would stand under it."

She sighed and rose up her hands in surrender. "Alright, you caught me. But I only did it because you're completely clueless when it comes to women."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh please? I saw the way you talked with her back at Town Hall. That whole 'who else is clever enough' bit. Please, even though you were on your Christmas hype, you were practically flirting with the girl." She was grinning like a witch's cat.

"I-I was not flittering. I said those things because they're true. Sally is the cleverest creature in all of Halloween Town. But what does that have to do with me… kissing her." If I had any flesh and blood my face would be bright red right now. I could still feel her silky stitches on my lips and it made me blanch all the more. _Ah! Focus Jack, focus!_

Will giggled. "You really are clueless. Jack, I know you like Sally. It was written all over your face when you had your lips pressed to hers."

_I wonder just how white a skeleton can turn?_ I thought.

"And what about that little scene in the living room, huh? That was just a tad overprotective, don't you think?"

"Well I, I was just worried about her, that's all. Sally is my dearest friend. And such a sweet thing like her can get into trouble if she'd not careful."

"She's a grown woman," Will stated, "not a damsel in distress, waiting for her skeletal knight to rescue her."

Okay, not how I would have put it, but she was right. Sally could take care of herself; she didn't need me to protect her. Why did I feel the need to protect Sally? Maybe it was because of what happened when we first met. I don't think I'd ever forget that day.

Everyone was getting ready, just hours away from Halloween. But Oogie Boogie wanted to take the holiday, and my title, for himself. First he'd sent Lock, Shock and Barrel to kidnap me, but they'd gotten confused and kidnapped poor Sally instead. I didn't want Sally's first Halloween to be ruined by that one incident. I wanted Halloween to be something fun for her. I remember the way her eyes lit up and her smile… Sally brought such a colorful outlook on the town. That was one of the reasons I wanted to bring Christmas here.

"Hello? Earth to Jack, come in Jack," Will tugged on my elbow. "Are you still among us living and/or undead?"

I shook myself out of my trance. "Sorry, I was just... remembering something."

"What?"

I didn't bother to answer her as I raced back to the living room. Luckily Sally was still there. Zero and Mogwai had decided to keep her company and she was petting the two dogs. She smiled when I came into the room, but she also appeared a little apprehensive.

"Is something wrong, Jack?" she asked.

"No, no, everything's fine, Sally. I just wanted to tell you to keep that blanket for as long as you want. Since you're working on my Sandy Claws outfit, you'll probably be staying in your work tent."

"Why Jack, I, I... I don't know what to say."

I took her hands in mine. "Just say yes."

"Alright."

"Fantastic!"

**XXX**

(Narrator's POV)

Neither of them saw Will, as she remained hidden in the shadows of the hallway. Her palm slapped loudly against her forehead.

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel:** This was a fun chapter to write, even though I had to struggle with some writer's block. I wanted a little build up in their relationship since I thought the ending happened a little fast. I mean, one minute Jack finds out his best friend *****Zero barks in protest***** Okay, best _female_ friend *****puppy appeased***** is in love with him, and then he tells her loves her? In reality that's a little out there. Then again reality is no fun.

**Cosmic Horse:** It's like he had his epiphany and then threw it all out his ear hole. Stupid boney butt.

**GodlyJewel:** Do you not see the red mark on my forehead? It's been there since the "Town Meeting" song.

**Disclaimer:** The mistletoe facts I looked up online, and I took the first meeting from the video game prequel, _Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King_.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: OCD – Obsessive Christmas Disorder**

(Al's POV)

I was sitting in my TV room, intently watching ABC Family's Presentation of _The Nightmare Before Christmas_. My face was mere inches away from the screen and I was getting a light headache. I scooted back so I can actually see the whole screen. I was keeping a Johnny-Depp-stalker eye peeled for ANY sign of Will. Nothing so far, but I was keeping my hopes up. I suddenly had the urge to call Will. "Dial number." I said to no one. "And we're ringing…. And ringing… and ringing… and we went to voicemail…"

_Moshi moshi, Will speaking. I'm either driving or away from my phone. Please leave a message at the end of the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as I can._

_Beep._

"Yo Will, it's Al. Pick up the dang phone child! I needs to talk to you…. like twenty seconds ago! ... Well… be sure to call me back at least… Bye bye…" I told the machine and hung up. "I'll call again." I said, starting to redial. Then, there was singing to distract my brain hamster.

_GROUP_

_This time, this time_

_GHOSTS_

_Making Christmas_

_BASE PLAYER_

_Making Christmas_

_MAYOR_

_Making Christmas, making Christmas_

_Is so fine_

_GROUP_

_It's our this time_

_And won't the children be surprised_

_It's ours this time_

_CHILD CORPSE_

_Making Christmas_

_MUMMY_

_Making Christmas_

_MUMMY AND CORPSE CHILD_

_Making Christmas_

_WITCHES_

_Time to give them something fun_

_WITCHES AND UNDERSEA GAL_

_They'll talk about for years to come_

_GROUP_

_Let's have a cheer from everyone_

_It's time to party_

_GROUP AND DUCK TOY_

_Making Christmas, making Christmas_

_VAMPIRES_

_Snakes and mice get wrapped up so nice_

_With spider legs and pretty bows_

_WINGED DEMON_

_It's ours this time_

_CORPSE FATHER, WOLF MAN, AND DEVIL_

_All together, that and this_

_With all our tricks_

_We're making Christmas time_

_WOLF MAN_

_Here comes Jack_

_JACK_

_I don't believe what's happening to me_

_My hopes, my dreams, my fantasies_

_Hee, hee, hee, hee_

_HARLIQUIN DEMON_

_Won't they be impressed, I am a genius_

_See how I transformed this old rat_

_Into a most delightful hat_

_JACK_

_Hmm, my compliments from me to you_

_On this your most intriguing hat_

_Consider through this substitute_

_A bat in place of this old rat_

_Huh! No, no, no, now that's all wrong_

_This thing will never make a present_

_It's been dead now for much too long_

_Try something fresher, something pleasant_

_Try again, don't give up_

_THREE MR. HYDES_

_All together, that and this_

_With all our tricks we're making Christmas time_

While the instrumental part of the song played I tried calling Will again.

"Looking for Will…. Call again!" I said, dialing her number.

"Damn voice mail!" I shouted at the machine. "I want to talk to Will, not Automated Betsy! WILL DAMN'IT!" I hung my phone up in a rage. And listened as the song finished out

_GROUP_

_This time, this time_

_JACK_

_It's OURS_

_GROUP_

_Making Christmas, making Christmas_

_La, la, la_

_GROUP_

_It's almost here_

_GROUP AND WOLF MAN_

_And we can't wait_

_GROUP AND HARLIQUIN DEMON_

_So ring the bells and celebrate_

_GROUP_

'_Cause when the full moon starts to climb_

_We'll all sing out_

_JACK_

_It's Christmas time_

_He, he, he_

Jack turned around as the skeletal reindeer descended behind him, and then the screen faded to black. The announcer stated that the show would be back in a moment and began to play a trailer for the upcoming _Hotel Transylvania_ movie.

"Damn commercial!" I shouted, picking my phone up.

"Call Will." I shouted at my phone, it dialing Will's number.

"Ringing…. WILL! You answered!" I screeched. "So… how's it going?" I asked, my voice super tame.

_Oh, pretty good,_ she replied,_ Jack put me on ornament decorating. Guess he didn't appreciate that_– _GAAAHH!_

"What just happened?!" I demanded to know what had made my girly scream. That was _my_ job.

_Do you mind! I am on the phone! Sorry about that Ally. The Corpse Kid and the Mummy were trying out their new toy on me: a ghoulish puppet with an axe in its hand. Yeesh, who plays with a toy that wants to chop your head off!? Don't answer that._

"But I… I… okay…" And I had such a good answer. "Hey, so I've been watching for you on the tube. No such luck… YET!" I smirked. "But, I am a professional stalker so I'm going to be looking for you. By the way, I may have insulted your voice mail machine thingy…"

_Well, I don't doubt your stalking skills. Look sorry I haven't called you in a while. Jack's had me busy for the last few weeks. I just finally managed to get a break._

"That man is a slave driver!"

_You should see poor Sally. She's worked nonstop on that stupid Santa suit making sure it's just perfect. Grr, I've been trying to get them together ever since that incident in Jack's study, but apparently everything needs his approval._

"Hmm… well… I …. Um… okay… Well, um…. Mind out of the gutter please Mr. Hamster… Thanks Cheeky!" I was mostly talking to Mr. Cheeky, but I could practically hear Will rolling her eyes. Change of topic! "So, what's the hold up? Get going on that scheme I just know that you have. It's already been an hour love."

_What do you mean it's only been an hour? Al, I've been here for a __**month**__._

"Yes, I am sure you have been. See, you're in the movie. I'm watching the move. Time warp!"

_Please stop talking to me like Mr. Cheeky and the Voices. I have enough on my plate as it is._ I heard something crash in the background and Will was groaning again. _Oh great, the Gumby and Pokey just ticked off the tentacle track train. I don't know why Jack thinks these toys are winners. I just better remind him to give that shrunken head to a little girl in Hawaii with the blue dog._

"Well, I'll leave you to it. Have fun in Halloween Town!... OOOO Will you bring me a toy back? Please, please, please, please, please, PLEEEAAAASSSSSSEEEEEE? I don't care which one but please?"

_Okay, I will try and get you the vampire teddy bear. I know that one's your favorite, but don't be surprised if Santa doesn't let me, okay?_

"That's all cool child. All right, got to go. Crepe is getting antsy. Bye bye!" We hung up. My slightly deranged puffball of a cat, Crepe, was meowing loudly and off-key. "Shut up Crepe!" I shouted, giving the cat a gentle shove.

I had had Crepe since she was a kitten. I maybe accidentally dropped her many times… okay… many, many times. The poor cat loved me but was just a bit off since. It was feeding time and she was always hungry. I opened a can of tuna up and set it next to me. Crepe was happily eating and I was intently watching the TV screen.

"Damn Victoria Secret models taking up my TV screen. I wants watch Nightmare! And Will!... Grr!" I said, watching the overtly skinny and near perfect women prance about the screen.

**XXX**

(Will's POV)

I hung up my phone and went back to decorating. I was still pondering over what Al had just told me. I had been in Halloween Town for a month and a half now, but back home everything was just the same. I just couldn't understand it, but I decided not to think to hard about it or I'd end up giving myself a headache.

"Oh Will," called one of the vampires. "Could you come here?"

I sighed. Why did _I_ have to be the "test subject" for these Halloweenized toys? Oh that's right. I'm the only human in a town full of monsters and ghouls. It was better to just go along with it. I walked over to their workbench to see what they'd come up with. "Whatcha got boys?"

They smiled and handed me a baby doll with white porcelain skin and black hair. it was kinda cute with its white and blue-checkered dress. That is, until it came to life and tried to take a bite out of my hand.

"What the heck!?" I dropped the doll but it came after me. So I did the only thing I could do: I ran for my life.

"Note to self: when vampires give you a baby doll, make sure its not possessed by a demon!"

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel:** Honestly this chapter was just a filler, but I thought I'd let Al have another scene. I wish I could take credit for Al's character, but all credit and applause goes to the fabulous creativity of Cosmic Horse. Plus, she gets to laugh at me running for my life from evil toys. Also just so you know, some of those toys I mentioned are from Tim Burton's original poem.

**Cosmic Horse:** Teehee! Those toys man are just the boss! Oh yeah, you want me to explain Mr. Cheeky Hamster. Well, my brain is just an empty cavern that a small, brown and white hamster runs on a wheel to keep me alive and moving.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Halloween-style Christmas**

(Sally's POV)

It was December twenty-forth, Christmas Eve. Everyone in Halloween Town was putting the final touches on his or her projects. I looked out and saw all the excitement on each person's face. If only I could feel just as enthusiastic. For the past few weeks I had tried to tell Jack about my vision, but he never listened. The only one who did listen to me was Will. She even tried to help me stop Jack

Still, it didn't stop the feeling of dread I had. At least I could do my best to support Jack in anyway that I could. And right now that meant putting the finishing touches on his new suit. Jack was examining himself in the mirror while I sewed the cuff onto his newly finished suit. He looked so different. The Jack I knew wore a smile and looked so dashing in his pinstripe suit with matching bat bowtie. Now he wore a red and white suit with a long white beard strapped to his face.

"You don't look like yourself, Jack. Not at all," I told him.

"Isn't that wonderful? It couldn't be more wonderful!"

I stopped working to grab the picture he's given me. I flipped over the Santa picture and held up the other sketch for him to see. "But you're the Pumpkin King!"

"Not anymore!" Jack took the picture and broke it over his knee, tossing the pieces to the side. "I feel SO much better now!

I sighed and began finishing his cuff. "Jack, I know you think something's missing, but–"

"Oww," Jack said lightly. I hadn't been watching and had accidentally caught his finger with my needle. He stuck it in his mouth.

"Sorry," I apologized as he pulled his finger out of his mouth.

"You're right. Something is missing." I felt relief until Jack turned to look at himself in mirror. "But what? I've got the beard, the coat, the boots, the belt–"

"Jack! Jack!" Both Jack and I (as well as the rest of the town) turned to see Lock, Shock, and Barrel entering the Town Square. "This time we bagged him!"

"This time we really did," Lock stated proudly.

"He sure is big, Jack!" Barrel commented.

"And heavy!" Shock said as she and her friends pulled open the bag. A large, white-bearded man in a red suite came bursting out the bag, shouting, "Let me out!" There was a matching red and white hat that was pulled over his eyes, and he had pieces of candy stuck to him.

The Halloween citizens gasp in awe. Jack started becoming very excited as he approached the large man. "Sandy Claws - in person. What a pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand, prepared to shake it with Mr. Claws, but then he looked down when their hands touched. "Wh - ! Why, you have **hands**! You don't have claws at all!

_That's right, I remembered_ _Will said his name was Claus, not Claws._ I watched as Mr. Claus removed his hat from his eyes, and began to look around in a daze. "Where am I?"

"Surprised aren't you?" Jack asked. "I knew you would be. You don't need to have another worry about Christmas this year." I noticed Santa looking around in horror while Jack tried to encourage him. "Consider this a vacation, Sandy. A reward. It's your turn to take it easy."

"B-But there must be some mistake!" Mr. Claus protested.

"See that he's comfortable..." Jack told Boogie's boys. They began to pack Santa back into their sack when Jack stopped them. "Just a second, fellas! Of course! **That's** what I'm missing!" He took Santa's hat and placed it on his own head. "Thanks."

"B-But... - you just can't–" The bag was thrown over him before he could finish_._ He shouted from inside, "Hold on! Where are we going now?" I watched the children leave with him in their walking bathtub. No one else seemed to even care where they were going. Everyone just gathered around Jack as he practiced his Santa Claus laugh.

"Ho, ho, **ho**! No..." he said in a monotone voice.

"This is worse than I thought. Much worse. I know!" I had to stop Jack from taking off tonight and there was only one way to do it. But I had to get back into my old room to get what I needed. I made my way to Doctor Finklestein's lab when I spotted Will. She was holding her right hand to her chest and looking around for something.

"Will, what are you doing?" I asked.

She seemed surprised. "Oh! Sally. I was just, umm…"

"Did you need something?" It was then I noticed her hand was bleeding. "Will, what happened to your hand?"

"This?" She held up her hand. "Oh, this. Well, I was just, umm… Ah, who am I kidding? I had another plan to stop your boyfriend, but those skeletal reindeer are mean little ponies. Every time I got close they'd snap at me. This happened when I bopped one on the nose for snapping at me for the third time. That backfired."

"Here, lets' get you fixed up." I took Will's uninjured hand and led her inside my work tent. I carefully cleaned the cut and bandaged it. Luckily it wasn't deep, so I didn't have to stitch it up.

"Thanks Sally. That feels much better."

"So what exactly were you trying to do to the sleigh?" I asked again.

"I thought if I could tamper with the harness, I could make it so that when Jack tried to take off, the reindeer would fly off without him," she explained, "but as you can see that didn't happen. So, what was all the hubbub in the square just a minute ago?"

"Oh Will, Jack's done something awful. He's had Boogie's boys kidnap Mr. Claus."

Will seemed to turn white and her eyes got larger. "Oh crap."

"Will…?"

"Sally, if they have Santa then Christmas doesn't have much time left. We need to stop Jack before he takes off tonight. Oh why does that skeleton have to be so stubborn!?"

As much as I wanted to disagree, Will had a point. Neither of us had been able to convince Jack not to go out tonight. "Don't worry Will. I have an idea how to stop Jack, but I'll need to get back into Dr. Finklestein's lab."

"If it's what I think you're planning, then you'll need some help. You go get what you need and I'll keep Jack busy so he doesn't suspect anything." She hopped off the chair and began to walk out when I called her.

"Wait Will!" She turned around. "I have something for you." I walked over to my sewing machine and grabbed the folded garment I'd placed beside it. Then I turned around and handed it to Will. She was surprised and unfolded the garment to reveal the red and white sweater I had made her. I smiled when her eyes lightened up as she held the sweater against herself.

"Oh! Sally this is wonderful," Will said. "I can't believe you made this for me. When did you have time to make it?"

"I had a little spare time. It's just my way of saying thank you for all you've done to help me. Besides, I always see you wearing those short sleeved shirts and you looked a little chilled."

Will squealed and wrapped her arms around me. "Oh, thank you Sally. You're the best."

"Your welcome. Uh, Will?" I asked. "What are you doing?"

She looked up at me with a puzzled look. "Haven't you ever been hugged Sally?" I shook my head. "Well you have now! I guess hugging isn't that big in Halloween Town." We both started laughing. Then Will let me go and slipped on the sweater. It looked very nice on her. "Fits just right." Then she got a very sly look on her face. "Say, how did you make this fit me without getting my measurements?"

I felt my face heat up. _Busted._

Will chuckled. "Don't worry Sally, I won't tell anyone your secret. Let's just work on keeping Jack out of trouble, okay?" She winked and then left me alone in my tent. I never thought Will would figure out that I never needed Jack's measurements. It was just an excuse to try and talk him out of taking over Christmas. I smiled. Oh well, now to the task at hand: stopping Jack's takeoff. All I needed now was the Fog Juice hidden under the floorboards in my old room. Seeing that everyone still crowded around Jack, I slipped off to Dr. Finklestein's laboratory.

**XXX**

(Will's POV)

After leaving Sally I decided to go check on Jack. I didn't find him in the Town Square, so I went to look for him at Skellington Manor. Once I got inside, Zero and Mogwai greeted me. Apparently the two mischievous pups had gotten into a rather large box of candy canes. Broken pieces of candy were all over the floor and the box was torn to shreds.

"What the heck you two? Look at this mess."

They both whined and looked at me with classic, big ol' puppy-dog eyes. I just sighed and began collecting broken candy cane pieces. About nine minutes later Jack came through the door in a cheery mood.

"Ah, there you are Will. Where were you earlier? You missed the arrival of Sandy Claws."

"Oh I saw Jack, I saw. Did you really have to take the man's hat?"

"Oh Sandy didn't mind. Anyway, I just got back from the Mayor's house. I've got a spectacular entrance for tonight. You are coming to the celebration tonight, aren't you?" He had such a hopeful look on his face.

I sighed. "Of course. But umm…"

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"Well if ya haven't noticed, the boys kinda messed up the house while we were out." I gestured to the mess I was cleaning up. "I thought you put the candy canes where the dogs couldn't get them?"

"I did," he protested. "I put them on the tallest shelf in the kitchen."

"Jack, Zero can fly, remember?" That earned the skeleton a face palm, and me, a laugh. "Doesn't matter. So, I saw you talking to Sally earlier."

"Huh, oh yes, yes. She was concerned about something, but I assured her everything was fine," he said cheerfully. "Well I just came to pick up my _Santa's Workshop_ book. I need to review the flight procedures before takeoff."

He went upstairs to grab his book and then headed out the door. "See you tonight."

When Jack left I felt like screaming. What was it going to take for him to realize that this was a **bad** idea? Oh well. If things went as originally planned then that missile would certainly knock some sense back into Jack's skull. _Hmm, to bad that book doesn't mention how to handle an __**emergency**__ landing_. Meanwhile, I had a job to do. I turned around to see Mogwai and Zero playing tug-of-war with a stocking.

"Zero, here boy!"

**XXX**

(Sally's POV)

That night everyone gathered in the Town Square as they began Halloween Town's first Christmas celebration. Everyone was dressed in some sort of Christmas attire and having a terrible time. No one seemed to notice me, or the Fog Juice in my hands. I was still getting over the chills after spotting the doctor immersed in a new project. Apparently he'd finally taken my advice and was making a new creation. Although, seeing him put half of his own brain into the creation's head was rather shocking. Well, at least it kept him from spotting me.

Everyone crowded around the stage where the sleigh and skeleton reindeer stood. The Mayor was on stage conducting the band in a song that Will had once told me was called "Here Comes Santa Claus." Everyone was really excited. If only they knew something terrible might happen if my plan failed.

I couldn't think about that now, I had a job to do. I snuck past the townsfolk and made my way over to the well. When no one was looking I uncorked the jug and poured the whole thing into the well. Just as the last drop fell out the band had reached the end of the song they were playing. Apparently that was the cue for Jack to appear. The coffin opened and Jack rose from it like a vampire, eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest. After I disposed the empty jug behind a bush, I immersed myself back into the crowd just as Jack opened his eyes and waved to the crowd.

Then the Mayor pulled out a long sheet of paper from his coat pocket and began to give his speech. "Think of us as you soar triumphantly threw the sky, out shinning every star. Your silhouette a dark blot on the moon. You, who are our pride, you, who are our glory, you, who have frightened **billions** into an early grave."

No one noticed as my Fog Juice began to take effect. Fog began pouring into the Town Square in thick sheets, seeping out from anywhere it could. Even the saxophone player had fog appearing in puffs out his instrument.

The Mayor was having trouble trying to finish his speech. "You who have… a, devastated the… souls of the… living…"

"Oh no!" Jack cried. "We can't take off in this. The reindeer can't see an inch in front of their noses."

"Whew," I let out a breath I'd been holding, wiping my brow. My plan had worked perfectly.

"This fog's as thick as, as…" one of the vampires tried to think of something.

"Jellied brains," cried the Cyclopes.

"Or thicker!" commented another vampire.

"There go all of my hopes," Jack moaned as he sat down in the coffin, "my precious plans; my glorious dreams."

"There goes Christmas," cried the Corpse Kid.

I felt awful that everyone was so upset, but what else could I do? I couldn't let Jack go through with this. As I looked up at my bemoaned friend, I saw a small flicker of orange light making its way toward Jack.

"Ruff, ruff." It was Zero, Jack's sweet little ghost dog. But where was that light coming from?

"No Zero. Down boy." Jack didn't even look up at his dog until the light penetrated his eye sockets. "My, what a brilliant nose you have. The better to light my way! To the head of the team Zero."

Zero smiled and flew to the front of the reindeer just as he was told. Everyone cheered as Jack settled himself into position. He grabbed the reins and a large whip. "We're off!" he shouted before cracking the whip, and the reindeer took off into the sky.

"Wait Jack! NO!" I tried to stop him, but my cries were drowned over the roar of the cheering crowds.

"Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!"

It was the last thing I heard as Jack and his sleigh flew out of sight. The crowd dispersed and soon I found myself alone in the Town Square. I had tried to stop Jack, but my efforts weren't enough. And now he was gone.

"Goodbye Jack… my dearest Jack. Oh how I hope my premonition is wrong." I walked away and heard the band play their usual song. It was so melancholy, just like how I felt. I couldn't explain it but suddenly, lyrics began to form from my aching heart and flowed out my lips in time with the music.

_I sense there's something in the wind_

_That feels like tragedy's at hand_

_And though I'd like to stand by him_

_Can't shake this feeling that I have_

_The worst is just around the bend_

_And does he notice my feelings for him?_

_And will he see how much he means to me?_

_I think it's not to be_

_What will become of my dear friend?_

_Where will his actions lead us then?_

_Although I'd like to join the crowd_

_In their enthusiastic cloud_

_Try as I may, it doesn't last_

_And will we ever end up together?_

_No, I think not, it's never to become_

_For I am not the one_

I hugged myself and felt such sorrow coming over me. I'm not sure how long I sat there alone with my thoughts. From far off I could hear the other citizens having fun doing who knows what. But one thing was clear. Even if Jack's outing was successful and he did come back alright, he would never notice me. Everyone would praise him just as before and I would still be the shadow in the background. He would never see me as anything but a friend. What could I do? I wasn't frightening; I couldn't even scare a kitten. He deserved someone who could scare just as well as he could, not some nobody rag doll whose never even seen the outside of Halloween Town.

"Maybe Jack would be better off without me."

"That's not true." The sudden appearance of another voice startled me. I looked up to see Will standing a foot in front of me. Funny, I hadn't even seen her in the crowds before I poured the Fog Juice into the well. She walked over and crouched in front of me.

"Will. Wh-What are you doing here?" I asked, "Did you–"

"Oh yeah, every word." She looked at me with a sad look and such concern in her eyes. Then she put one hand on my shoulder and said, "And I don't **ever** want to hear you say that again."

"But it's true."

"Bull crap!" she shouted. "Sally, if you want proof that Jack needs you, come with me." She stood up and held out her hand for mine. I wasn't sure how Will was going to prove me wrong, but it looked like she wasn't going to give me a choice.

I took her hand and she helped me to my feet. Once I was standing I followed Will back into the Town Square. There we saw all the towns people gathered around the witches' caldron. As we got closer I could hear them cheering. At first I didn't know what was going on, until I heard a familiar cackle. _Jack_. I pushed past a few people to see Jack's image soaring through the night sky. From a few of the murmurs I heard from the crowd, Jack had already been to several houses. So far it didn't seem like anything had gone wrong, if you didn't count the numerous children who'd probably be forever traumatized from this Christmas encounter. I glanced over at Will to see she had been pushed to the back of the crowd. My attention was redirected toward the caldron when I heard a woman's voice.

_Reports are pouring in from all over the globe, that an impostor is shamelessly impersonating Santa Claus, mocking and mangling this joyous holiday. Police assure us, that at this moment, military units are mobilizing to stop the perpetrator of this heinous crime._

"Jack! Someone has to help Jack. Where'd they take that Sandy Claws?" No one seemed to be listening. It was as if they hadn't heard what the news woman had said. They were going to kill Jack. I managed to get free of the crowd when I found Will.

"So, you believe me now?" she asked.

"Oh Will, this is far worse than I ever imagined. If we don't find Mr. Claus soon, they're going to kill Jack." My voice cracked as the tears pricked my eyes. The thought of losing Jack was more than I could bear.

"It'll be okay, Sally," Will assured me. "Jack is going to be just fine, trust me. But right now we need to save Santa. I know where those three brats took him, but you won't like it."

"I don't care as long as we can save Mr. Claus and Jack."

"Okay," she said, taking my hand. "First we'll need to get a few things. You wouldn't know where to find a rope ladder, would you?" I nodded. "Good, you get that. I'll get a few things from Jack's house and meet you back here in ten minutes. Oh, and Sally, sorry for bungling your plan earlier. I tried to keep Zero from coming, but it's really hard keeping an intangible ghost dog from his master when you can't kennel him."

I stared after her as she ran off toward Skellington Manor. Only two things ran through my mind: _Could Will and I rescue Santa Claus in time and save Jack?_ and _How had Will known about my plan to stop Jack?_


	11. Chapter 11

**AN:** Sorry for those who've already read this, but after watching the movie I noticed some errors I need to attend to, otherwise I'll kick myself for messing them up. So, please don't be mad, just blame it on my need to stick as close to the story and detail as possible.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Rescue**

(Will's POV)

I followed Sally through the graveyard and part of the woods until we came to our destination: Lock, Shock, and Barrel's tree house. I was glad I'd left Mogwai back at Jack's house. When I had told Sally where the tricksters had taken Santa, she became very nervous.

* * *

**_~Flashback~_**

"_I told you that you wouldn't like it."_

"_I guessed they'd bring him there. It's just, I never thought I'd ever have to go back."_

"_You've been here before?"_

"_Yes," Sally explained. "It was my first Halloween and the first time I'd ever snuck away from Doctor Finklestein. I was coming out of an alleyway when Boogie's Boys suddenly bagged me. They'd thought I was Jack and Oogie locked me away. I was frightened until Jack found me. He was so kind to me. He even returned my foot that had gotten torn off when Lock, Shock, and Barrel took me."_

"_Aww, that's sweet."_

"_Well, I just wish I hadn't been so nervous at the time. I think I even called him Mr. Pumpkin King." We both laughed._

_****__~Flashback~_

* * *

"So," Sally said, interrupting my thoughts, "how are we going to get inside."

"I'm thinking since you have the ladder you should get Santa. I'll distract the Three Stooges long enough for you to sneak inside and find out where they're keeping him."

"How are you going to distract them?" she asked.

I smiled and instead of telling her, I showed her. I took off the backpack I was carrying and began pulling out a rope, Al's birthday present, and a red container. I took of my sweater and tied it around my waist before tying the rope to my belt.

Meanwhile Sally had picked up my container and asked, "What's this?"

"Just a little concoction I learned how to my in my Movie Editing class," I explained. "It's a mixture of Corn syrup, red food coloring, and cocoa mix. Combined with my acting skills and knowledge of almost every horror movie I've ever seen, I should put on quite the show. This is either going to scare the pants off those kids, or at least get them to chase me far away from the tree house."

"Oh," Sally said. She looked unsure about my plan.

I looked back at her and smiled. "Don't worry Sally. I promise, Jack will be just fine. Right now Santa needs our help." I put my hand on her shoulder. "So, are ya with me?"

Sally didn't seem confident at first, but after thinking it over, she looked me in the eye and gave me an uneasy smile.

"Alright, lets go."

I removed my hand from her shoulder and took the container she was holding. I opened it to reveal the sticky red goo inside. Truth be told, I was just as nervous as Sally was. I had no way of knowing if my plan would work. Sure I was pretty good when it came to a drama performance, but to manage what I wanted to pull off? It would take a miracle. But I didn't want to worry Sally any further than she already was.

_I just hope this works_, I thought to myself, _Otherwise I might put us in more danger than originally planned_.

**XXX**

(Sally's POV)

I waited behind a nearby tree while waiting for my cue. Will had entered the tree house a few minutes ago and everything still seemed to be very quiet. Suddenly there was a loud sound I had never heard before, followed by the screams of little children. I turned around to see Lock, Shock, and Barrel running out of their tree house toward the woods. The sound I'd heard got louder and then Will came crashing onto the bridge in front of the tree house.

She looked so strange than from the Will I knew her as. Her eyes were wide with a wild look about them, and her hair and clothes were matted with dirt. She was covered, head to torso and along her arms and hands, in what looked like thick, red blood. Her lips were curved into a wicked smile that displayed her teeth. She held in her hands a portable mechanical saw with teeth set on a chain that moved around the edge of the blade. All together, she looked very frightening.

"KIIIIDDDSS! Come out and PLAY!" she hissed. She rose the saw above her head and ran off into the woods after Lock, Shock, and Barrel, screaming, "CHAINSAW TIME! Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

When I could no longer hear the sound of the "chainsaw," I arose from my hiding spot and went toward the tree house. I took hold of the rope and lowered the elevator down. I climbed in and it brought me inside the tree house. I opened the elevator door and began my search for Santa Claus. So far all I could find were toys, candy, dirty clothes, and a closet full of weapons. Then I saw a strange shoot surrounded by horrible masks and candles. I assumed this must lead down to Oogie's lair.

"That must be were they took Santa."

I ran back to the elevator and once I stepped inside it lowered my down. At first, I thought I would be taken all the way down to Oogie's lair. Instead I was brought to a small alcove with bars over it. I peered inside and gasped at the sight below. I instantly recognized Oogie's casino style lair and all its torture devices. And there was Santa Claus, hanging by his wrists on a metal hook suspended in the air. Oogie was laughing and taunting the poor elderly man. I needed to get him out of there and fast. But how? Looking around I saw the shoot I'd seen in the upper level. That would work if it weren't on the ceiling. I looked again and spotted a set of doors that looked like two stacked dice towers, and part of it was cracked open.

Suddenly I had an idea. I placed the ladder near the alcove and slipped away from the elevator to search for the right door. When I came to the door, I peeked out the crack just to make sure it was the right one. Making sure I was alone, I raised the hem of my dress until I found the stitching the connecting my leg to my upper thigh. I undid the thread and placed my leg near the door. Once I was sure it wouldn't fall, I rushed back to the elevator and positioned myself at the alcove. That being done I quickly undid the stitching around both my wrists. That's when I heard Oogie speaking again.

"Are you a gamblin' man Sandy?" Oogie asked. "Let's play."

He was interrupted by a knocking sound. He looked toward the door to see my leg peek through. It struck a very saucy pose, giving the effect I wanted.

"My, my! What have we here?" Oogie nudged Santa's side. He spit bug juice into his hand and ran it over his head. He walked over to my leg and started touching it. "My. Lovely." He took off my shoe and started tickling my foot. "Tickle tickle ...tickle tickle..."

I shuddered. I could even feel my stitches crawling along with my skin. I distracted myself by focusing on freeing Santa. I turned to my detached hands and watched them pass through the bars. They slid down the rope onto Santa's shoulders. He looked scared seeing two disembodied hands and started to scream. One hand covered his mouth to prevent him from drawing Oogie's attention, while the other pointed upward. I leaned out the bars and meet Santa's startled eyes.

"I'll get you out of here," I whispered. My hands made quick work of the rope and once Santa was freed, my hands grabbed the hook to keep it from making noise. Quickly, I grabbed the ladder as best as I could and dropped it down to him. He was just about to climb up when…

"WHAT!? You trying to make a dup out of ME!?"

I looked up to see Oogie holding my detached leg in his hand, glaring at us. Apparently my leg had slipped through the crack in the door, revealing my masquerade.

I tried to pull Mr. Claus up but it was nearly impossible without my hands. My hands raced to climb up the rope to my aid, but Oogie Boogie had taken in a large breath and roared. Only the roar had a suction effect and I could feel myself being pulled into the room. I hung on as hard as I could but he was just too strong. I fell through the bars and onto the ground next to Santa. It was difficult for me to get up without my hands and other leg, but Santa help me to sit up.

Oogie Boogie lumbered over to us, a wicked scowl on his face. "Well, well, if it isn't that little rag doll. Come back for more punishment?"

"How dare you treat this poor woman so cruelly!" Santa shouted. "Release us now, you fiend!"

"Oh I don't think so, Sandy. I got a score to settle with this one. Nobody escapes Oogie Boogie!" He then turned his gaze on me. "Too bad though Doll, you sure got some shapely legs."

He still held my leg in his burlap hands and began stroking it. I shuddered as my leg twitched under his touch. I never even noticed my hands had decided to reattach themselves. Then Oogie Boogie started walking toward up, laughing the closer he got.

Suddenly the shoot started rattling again. We all looked in that direction. Santa and I remained where we were while Oogie walked over to the shoot. He looked up and muttered, "What the…" but was cut off as a pair of shoes propelled into his face. He stumbled back and dropped my leg. I looked back and saw what had hit Oogie Boogie. It was Will.

**XXX**

(Will's POV)

I landed on the ground and rolled on the floor. I turned over to see Oogie had dropped Sally's leg. I quickly grabbed it, and yelled, "RUN!"

Not wasting time, Santa helped Sally stand up and ran from the room.

"Oh no you don't!" Oogie had gotten his head clear and he wasn't too happy his captives were getting away. He looked like he was going to go after them. Quickly I took off my pack and rummaged through it until I found my hairbrush. I grabbed it and threw it at the boogieman's head. It hit him exactly where I aimed (inside I was amazed that it hit him at all) and turned his angry glare on me.

"Hey Pervert! Leave them alone!" I yelled. I stood up and readied myself in case he came at me. "Just back off bug-sack, unless you wanna get hurt

He laughed. "You? What's a little runt like you gonna do?"

"Why don't you come here and find out?" I braced myself as Oogie began walking towards me. Luckily he was still laughing and didn't notice what I held behind my back. When he was less then a foot away, mouth wide open, I sprung my trap. I took my hand out from behind my back and revealed my open can of Bug Fogger. I pressed down on the nozzle and sprayed the bug killer into his mouth. A thick white mist spread through the room and caused Oogie to gag. He stepped back coughing while I grabbed my pack and ran down the corridor after Sally and Santa. I ran until I found them stopped just before the opening to the elevator.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked once I caught my breath.

"We are alright, but the young lady here needs assistance," Santa answered. I looked down at Sally and remembered I still had her leg in my hand.

"Here you go, Sally. Got this back for you."

"Thank you Will." She took her leg and then grabbed her needle and thread. Santa turned around to offer Sally some privacy. Once her leg was attached we headed toward the exit. Unfortunately we had run into a trap and the next thing I knew everything went black.

When I opened my eyes, I wished I hadn't. The back of my head was throbbing as I tried to remember what had happened. Sally, Santa, and I were just about to escape when something hit me in the back of my head. Just before I blacked out I heard the sound of laughter behind us. Obviously Lock, Shock, and Barrel had returned and knocked the three of us out with something really heavy.

When the pain subsided I looked around to see I was back in Oogie Boogie's casino lair. Only, why was everything on the ceiling? I got my answer when I heard the boogieman's laughter.

"Well, well. Look who decided to drop in. What are you gonna do now?"

"Make sure that once I get home I send a complaint to the pest control company," I replied. "That was a waist of five bucks."

"Oh shut up," Oogie snarled. "Face it twerp, I've got you and you're friends in my possession and there's no escape."

"I'm sorry, is that supposed to scare me?" I asked sarcastically.

"You dare challenge me? Do you know who I am? I am Oogie Boogie, King of Bugs! I am the reason men fear the night. And now you and you're friends are at my mercy, not that I have any. Ha, ha, ha."

"Ooh look, it's the scariest _wet blanket_ in all of Halloween Town," I retorted. I wished I hadn't said that. Oogie growled but then smiled, and suddenly I found myself being spun around and around. It felt like I had been put on the Tilt-a-Whirl at the carnival in turbo mode.

"Nobody disrespects me. NOBODY!" Oogie yelled and walked away while my spinning ride slowly came to a stop and rose into the air. _Great. I'm upside-down again, the blood rushing to my head, I'm going into the ceiling, and I think I'm gonna puke!_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Second Rescue**

(Narrator's POV)

The elevator doors opened as Lock, Shock and Barrel entered their tree house.

"I can't believe we feel for a stupid toy," Shock complained as she tossed the (now broken) toy chainsaw to the floor.

"No kidding," Lock added, "and she wasn't even a blood coated ghoul. Just some human girl covered in fake blood. Our reputations will be over if anyone finds out a human scared us, let alone a _girl_."

"I won't tell if you won't," Barrel said.

"At least we got her back with our slingshots," Lock said. "What do you think Oogie Boogie is gonna do to them?"

"Let's find out!" Shock suggested. The boys nodded their heads and the three ran over to the shoot. They listened for any sounds of blood curtailing screams, or moans of agony. All they heard was silence.

"What's happening? What's happening?!" Shock demanded.

The trick-or-treaters were frustrated and were getting aggravated that they couldn't find out what was going on. Suddenly Barrel got an idea. He drew his friends' attention and pointed toward the elevator. Shock, Lock and Barrel all smiled and had the same thought.

"Let's go down."

"And take."

"A peek."

"YEAH!" They all screamed and scattered about the room. Barrel grabbed two candy bars from his trick-or-treat bag. Lock got a couple of sodas from the soda barrel. The two boys entered the elevator, while Shock got herself some popcorn, only to find (and remove) a centipede from it.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Barrel called to Shock to hurry her up. Shock joined her cohorts in the elevator and soon the three were on their way down to watch their master at his worst. They arrived at the alcove Sally had used earlier and looked in at the scene below them. Oogie was setting up a vat of what appeared to be yellow acid. Santa and Sally were strapped down on a metal table above the yellow slime. Meanwhile the human girl apparently had replaced the skeleton on the spinning wheel and was being raised into the ceiling. The three snickered in their elevator and thought to themselves, _Who knew humans could turn green._ They wondered what their master had in store for the human, when they were distracted by the sound of Oogie Boogie's laughter.

"Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"You monster!" Santa shouted.

"I think I'm gonna puke," Will stated. "Hey lard butt, come stand over here for a minute."

Oogie ignored them both and began starting up his machine. Sally struggled against her ropes and glared at Oogie Boogie.

"This isn't over! Not by a long shot!" she yelled. "You wait till Jack finds out about this! By the time he's through with you, you'll be lucky if–"

Sally was cut off as the Mayor's voice could be heard of in the distance, shouting in his megaphone. "The King of Halloween has been blown to smithereens! Skeleton Jack is now a pile of dust!"

Sally gasped and Santa looked as if all hope was lost. The wheel had stop turning and Will was trying to remain still while her head and stomach started to settle down. Above the captives Lock, Shock, and Barrel began dancing around the elevator and started singing, "Pile of dust! Pile of dust! Skellington Jack is a pile of dust!"

Outside, just a few miles between the graveyard and Oogie's lair, Jack Skellington and his faithful dog Zero were running through the woods on their way to Lock, Shock, and Barrel's tree house. While Jack had been spreading his own brand of Christmas cheer in the Human World, a well-guided military missile had shot him down. After waking up in a graveyard surrounded by the blown up toys and burning pieces of his sleigh, Jack realized he had made a mistake. He also realized his true calling was to be the Pumpkin King and suddenly he had new ideas for next Halloween. But first, Jack needed to get back to Halloween Town and find Sandy Claws, so he could fix Jack's mess.

Jack finally arrived at the tree house and nearly fell into the open hole in the rope bridge. He looked up and scratched his skull, wondering where the elevator could be. Jack got his answer when he heard a voice from below his feet.

"If only Jack–"

"But he isn't. EVER!"

"Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help!"

_Sally!_ Sally was down there in Oogie Boogie's lair and she was in trouble. Jack felt his anger rise as he also heard Sandy Claws scream for help, followed by the laughter of Boogie's boys. Zero growled at the sound of his master's friends' screams. Jack put a boney finger to his lips and shushed Zero from making any more noise. Then he took hold of the elevator's rope and silently made his way down.

"Seven! It's Oogie's turn to boogie now."

The trick-or-treaters laughed as they watched their master do his worst to his prisoners. Rolling a seven meant he got to pull the lever, and the table the rag doll and old guy were on would be titled by seven notches, bringing them closer to their doom. They kept their eyes glued on the torturous sight until a shadow fell over their cage. The three looked up and were horrified to see a presumed dead Jack Skellington gripping on to the top of the cage. He shook the cage and looked in at them with a menacing smile. It didn't help that Oogie was laughing manically in the other room. Lock, Shock, and Barrel screamed and ran for the exit.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Ha, ha, ha, ha." Oogie laughed as his captives screamed for their lives.

"Oh HELP!" Sally wailed.

Sally's scream caught Jack's attention. He peered into the alcove as Santa screamed, "This can't be happening!" Jack knew he needed to get to them. If he didn't, Sally and Santa would… No! he didn't want to think about it. Seeing Oogie's back was toward him, Jack saw his opportunity and slipped through the bars.

Meanwhile Oogie was gloating over his all to easy victory.

"Ashes to ashes and dust to dust! Ohh... I'm feeling weak - with hunger! One more roll of the dice ought to do it!" He laughed and threw the dice into a skull shaker. When the dice rolled out Oogie inspected them, only to be displeased to have received a pair of ones.

"WHAT? SNAKE EYES!" In his frustration he stuck the table hard enough to overturn them and get a larger number. The outcome changed his mood immensely. "ELEVIN! Looks like I've won the **jackpot**! Bye-bye Doll Face, and Sand Man."

He pulled the lever, causing Sally to scream as she and Santa were dropped into the vat. Oogie waited to at the bottom of the slab to watch them fall in, laughing in triumph. Yet despite everything, he never saw the splash that should have resulted in their demise. This both baffled and disgruntled the boogieman.

"What the?" Oogie flipped over table to see if the ropes had somehow snagged on the table. However, instead of finding Sally and Santa, Oogie found a very, _very_ unhappy Jack Skellington waiting for him.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

"Hello Oogie," Jack greeted his foe in a very angered, even voice. He slid off the slab and advanced toward the boogieman.

Oogie Boogie started to stutter. "J-J-J-Jack! But they said you were dead. You must be - **double dead**!" Oogie pressed a spider shaped button and the floor began to rotate, throwing Jack off balance.

"Whoa!"

"He, he, he." Oogie laughed as he ran down the platform. Behind him rotating swords appeared from the mechanical playing cards and giant blades from the vat mixer. They swung around in all directions as they tried to slice the Pumpkin King. Jack ducked down in a spider-like fashion to avoid the spinning blades. Seeing his master in trouble, Zero floated out from the alcove and barked angrily. Meanwhile, across the room, an iron maiden opened to reveal Sally and Santa Claus.

Oogie watched from the only safe area of the rotating platform, taunting his foe. "Well come on, Bone Man."

Jack accepted the challenge. He gracefully bent and flipped in order to dodge the swords and blades with gymnastic grace. Oogie was not impressed. "Ohh." He pulled a string. "Ha!" The blades disappeared and were replaced by mechanical gunmen slot machines.

"Fire!"

The gunmen fired but Jack leapt on top of them to avoid the bullets. Oogie was starting to get frustrated, until he realized he was getting closer to the gunfire. "Whoa!" he screamed and tried running on the still moving platform, but it was as pointless as running on a treadmill. He started getting desperate. Then he saw an opportunity. Focusing all his strength, Oogie Boogie leapt into the air toward another secret button. He managed to hit the button, causing a giant saw to be released from the ceiling.

Seeing the danger, Sally cried, "Jack, look out!"

Hearing Sally's voice, Jack turned and managed to dodge the blade as it cut threw the gunmen's firing arms. Jack landed with feline agility, just a few feet from Oogie.

Jack took one step towards the villain, but Oogie had another surprise in store. Slamming his foot on a trap door, Oogie Boogie was propelled on top of the rotating blades hovering over the vat of yellow acid. Little did the boogieman realize that he had caught a stitch when he grabbed for the button, and the string was dangling in front of him. But Jack spotted it.

"So long Jack. Ah ha, ha, ha."

Jack grabbed the string and started to unwrap Oogie Boogie. "How dare you treat my friend so **shamefully**!"

"No, no, no, no, no!" He begged Jack to stop but it was too late. Jack had already entangled the thread in the rotating blades, causing Oogie Boogie's sack body to rip open. What was surprising at all was what had been hidden underneath. It turned out that Oogie Boogie, Kings of Bugs, was nothing more than a pile a bugs. "Now look what you've done! My bugs! My bugs! My bugs!"

Everyone in the room watched was the mound of bugs, formerly known as Oogie Boogie, became smaller and smaller as he continued to bemoan the loss of his bugs. Sally was astonished and stunned by the sudden revelation, while Jack looked on with a stern gaze. Some of the bugs tumbled into the vat and melted into sludge. Finally Oogie Boogie's voice became barley audible as a small green bug scurried across the floor in an attempt to escape. It continued screaming "My bugs!" before it was crushed under Santa Claus' boot.

Seeing that the danger was finally over, Jack nervously approached the other holiday leader.

"Forgive me, Mr. Claws," Jack said as he took Santa's hat out of his jacket. "I'm afraid I've made a terrible mess of your holiday."

"Bumpy sleigh-ride, Jack?" he stated more than asked, taking his hat from Jack. "The next time you get the urge to take over someone else's holiday, I'd listen to her," pointing to Sally. "She's the only one who makes any sense around this insane asylum!" He placed his hat back on his head and began walking away, muttering, "Skeletons, boogiemen..."

"I hope there's still time," Jack called.

"To fix Christmas?" Santa turned to face Jack. "Of course there is! I'm Santa Claus!" He placed a finger to his nose and rose out the shoot. Jack watched in amazement as Santa disappeared from sight. He hardly realized Sally had walked beside him until he felt her hand on his arm.

"He'll fix things Jack. He knows what to do."

Jack turned to Sally and asked, "How did you get down here Sally?"

Sally twiddled her fingers and looked at the ground. "Oh, I-I was trying to… Well, I wanted to, to…"

"… To help me."

"I couldn't let you just–" She turned away from him, too embarrassed to face him.

"Sally…" Jack put his hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him. "I can't believe I never realized–" Jack was cut off as a bright light shone down on them. Sally covered her eyes with her hand and Jack squinted his eye sockets to get a better look at where the light had come from.

"Jack! Jack!" It was the Mayor's voice. The couple looked up to see the Mayor peering out of the alcove with Lock, Barrel and Shock at his side. Apparently after Jack had scared them, the three had run all the way down the road and ran into the Mayor's hearse. They urged him to follow them back to the tree house to prove that Jack was alive (so to speak). They began to talk all at once.

"Here he is!"

"Alive!"

"Just like we said!"

Ignoring them, the Mayor threw Jack a rope and told him, "Grab a hold, my boy!"

Jack grabbed Sally's hand and used his free one to grab the end of the rope. They we're pulled to safety and led through the barred window. Jack slipped through the bars first, and then assisted Sally by grabbing her waist and helping her to the ground. The Mayor was relieved to see the beloved Pumpkin King had not perished in a fiery inferno, and was excited about bringing him back to Halloween Town. However, Jack was paying no mind as his attention was focused on Sally and their still joined hands. He was just amazed with her; she'd risked her own life to save Sandy Claws and try to help him. How could he not have realized sooner how much she truly cared for him? He wanted to finish what he started to say down in Oogie's lair but he was interrupted by a small voice.

"Excuse me but did everyone forget **something**?"

The Halloween citizens looked back through the window to see Will still hanging upside-down on the saw that almost hit Jack, and not looking very happy. Zero had apparently been the only one to notice the girl was still strapped to her prison, and was swirling around her side, barking like crazy.

"Seriously, someone needs to get me off this wheel… TODAY!" she yelled.

"Sorry Will," Jack and Sally called down at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed. Then Jack climbed back down the rope and walked over to Will. He first made sure she was right side up before removing Will from the large rotating torture devise. She rubbed her wrists and then looked back up at Jack.

"Listen Romeo, I get your in a new relationship but wait to kiss the girl until **after** you rescue **all** the captives, okay?" she mock scolded him.

Jack blanched as he heard snickering from Boogie's boys above. Up above Sally had a faint pink blush on her cheeks, but also a small smile. The Mayor was completely oblivious to what Will had meant and just encouraged Jack and Will to hurry. There was a town full of ghouls waiting for the return of their Pumpkin King.

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel:** Well, isn't that just like them to forget Will. I guess that's what happens when you're stuck in the background. In case anyone didn't notice, there were elements from the deleted scene from the _Nightmare Before Christmas_ DVD. And now our story comes to an end.

WRONG!

You didn't think I was gonna leave Will stuck in Halloween Town, did you? I'm not that mean, although it would be pretty cool to live there.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: There's No Place Like Home**

(Will's POV)

"Oww, oww! Easy on the wrists Jack," I scolded as Jack pulled me through the alcove.

"Sorry," he apologized. He pulled me through and set me down on the floor. I didn't have time to settle in when Sally suddenly hugged me, almost throwing me off balance.

"Oh Will, are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah I'm good. Thanks for the attack," I said and hugged her back. We stepped back and then I turned and gave Jack a hug as well, only I got his legs since he was so dang tall. "You're not getting out of an attack either, Mister. Did ya have to take so long getting here?"

"I apologize but in my defense I did have to travel from the Human Realm to get here."

The Mayor cleared his throat and got our attention. "I hate to interrupt but we must return to Halloween Town at once."

"All right Mayor, we're coming," Jack said. We all followed Lock, Shock, and Barrel out of the casino lair. Jack and I hung in the back. I wanted to talk to him before his mind wrapped too far around the idea of getting back to Halloween Town. Besides, I still wanted to know what he was going to say to Sally before the Mayor showed up. I felt a nudge on my shoulder. Turning around I saw Zero with my backpack in his mouth. I'd forgotten Oogie snatched when I was unconscious.

"Thanks, Zero." I gave him a pat on the head before slipping my arms in the straps.

"Umm Will?" Jack asked. "Why are you covered in blood?"

I looked down and laughed. "Oops. Forgot I was still a mess. It's not _real_ blood. I was being the distraction for Sally earlier, and I didn't want to ruin the sweater she made me. I'll clean up back at your house." Jack laughed although he still looked confused. That's when I saw my chance.

"So Jack? I couldn't help but wonder, just what were you going to say to Sally back there?"

"Oh, that," he said. "I was just going to say I never realized how much she cared about me."

"Of course she cares," I told him. "How could she not? When she told me about her vision, I knew I had to help her stop you. Although the plan kinda backfired on us. No offense but you can be a real bone head sometimes."

"What do you mean?"

"If I recall, Sally tried several times to tell you taking over Christmas was a _bad_ idea. Do you want me to reenact when Sally first tried to tell you, and you blew her off for a _Santa suit_?"

"No but I just don't understand. No one else seemed to think it was a bad idea. Everyone was thrilled to celebrate Christmas."

"Exactly! But in case you didn't notice, Sally's different. She doesn't go around fawning over the all-terrifying Pumpkin King. Sally is more concerned about Jack Skellington. She values what you have to say and knows exactly how you feel..." I quickly shut my mouth. Getting into personal territory that I wasn't permitted to tell.

But it was too late. I could see it on his face. Jack had defiantly heard that last part and he stopped walking just before we were two feet from the Mayor's hearse. Neither of us had even realized we had left the tree house. I kept moving and joined the others. The Mayor and Sally occupied the front seat, so I decided to join Lock, Shock, and Barrel on top of the hearse. This was going to be a long drive.

**XXX**

(Jack's POV)

As we drove back to Halloween Town I couldn't stop thinking about what Will had said. Sally knew how I felt? But how could that be? Sure I always felt like I could talk with her, and just be myself when she was around. I began to think about all the time we had spent together recently. Soon I was reminded of all those times we were alone together, especially that night Will had tricked us into standing under the mistletoe; I began to think of how I felt when we had kissed. It was as if, for just a moment, I'd forgotten about all my problems with Halloween and Christmas. And then back when I fought Oogie Boogie, seeing Sally in danger had really set me off. I didn't care about anything but getting Sally out of danger. When we got back to town, and all this fuss was over, I was going to make sure I talked to her. We really did have a lot to talk about now.

We pulled up to the Main Gate and the Mayor honked his horn to alert the Gate Keeper of our arrival. I had to duck as the gate opened and we drove into the Town Square. Suddenly, everyone was awaken from their nightmares and started gathering around us. Everyone started shouting when they saw us.

"Jack?!"

"Jack's back?"

"Jack?"

"Jack's okay!"

"He's alright!"

Suddenly they all burst out into song.

_GROUP_

_Jack's okay_

_And he's back, okay_

_CHILD CORPSE AND GROUP_

_He's alright_

_MAYOR AND CHORUS_

_Let's shout make a fuss_

_Scream it out_

I stepped off the hearse and made my way up the stairs to Town Hall. I paused as I felt a small weight on my leg. I looked down to see the Corpse Kid clinging to my leg. I reached dow to pick him up, tossed him in the air and set him down on the Mayor's hat before shaking the politician's hand.

_GROUP_

_Jack is back now everyone sing_

_In our town of Halloween_

"Its great to be home!" I shouted over the crowd. Everyone cheered until another voice was heard, a "ho, ho, ho" sound. Everyone looked toward the sky to see Sandy Claws flying over the town, bringing Halloween Town's first snowfall.

"Happy Halloween!" Santa shouted from his sleigh.

"Merry Christmas!" I shouted and waved back. Then I looked around as all my friends marveled at the snow.

_CHILD CORPSE_

_What's this?_

_CYCLOPS_

_What's this?_

_HARLIQUIN DEMON_

_I haven't got a clue_

_MR. HYDE_

_What's this?_

_CLOWN_

_Why it's completely new_

_GHOST_

_What's this?_

_WOLFMAN_

_Must be a Christmas thing_

_MAYOR_

_It's really very strange_

_GROUP_

_What's this?_

_What's this?_

I looked around as everyone enjoyed Halloween Town's first snowfall. The vampires were playing ice hokey with broomsticks and a pumpkin. The behemoth and the Undersea Gal were making snow angels, and everyone else was running around in the snow. I even tried catching a few snowflakes, until a snowball smacked me right in the face. I opened my eyes to find Lock, Shock, and Barrel laughing and hiding behind the well.

I laughed and then, seeing movement from the corner of my eye, lifted my leg to avoid the Mummy as he rolled the Corpse Kid into a large snowball. I watched the youngsters until I heard the distinct voice of Doctor Finklestein. "Careful my precious jewel."

I turned, expecting to see the doctor with Sally. Instead a tall creature that looked exactly like him was wheeling Doctor Finklestein, only it was obviously female with blonde hair and green coat with a spotted fur trimmed collar. I gasped and then began looking around for Sally. I spotted her quietly slipping away from the crowd out the gate, into the graveyard. Why wasn't she staying? Had she seen the doctor with his new creation? Zero floated to my side and we watched as Sally's form disappeared. Then I felt a tap on my arm. I turned to see Will standing behind me with a warm smile on her face.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" she asked me. She gestured her head toward the direction Sally had just disappeared into. "Go get her."

"But I don't…" I tried to say.

"Jack, for once, stop over thinking things. Haven't you realized by now how Sally feels about you? So quit standing here and go. You shouldn't make her wait too long ya know."

"Bu-But what do I say to her?" This was all so new to me. Sally and I had always just been friends, but now there was something more, something much more between us. It made me feel really good, but very nervous. Actually it made me feel something I never thought I'd feel. I was the Pumpkin King. I wasn't supposed to get… _scared_.

Will continued to smile and looked at me with her mischievous eyes. "Just say what's in your heart. Something tells me you'll know what to say when you see her."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Because…" she smiled, "you're meant to be." She took a step back and acted like she was waiting for something. Meant to be? I liked the sound of that. Suddenly I knew just what I had to do. I took a step and then made my way into the graveyard.

It took me a while but I found her. I had a sudden sense of déjà vu as I spotted Sally atop of Spiral Hill. It brought me back to the night I discovered Christmas Town. I had come to the graveyard to escape, and had sung a lament about how bored and alone I felt. And now here I was, watching as Sally sat there in the snow, so similar to how I'd been that night. She was sitting in the snow picking petals off a flower.

_Just say what's in your heart. Something tells me you'll know what to say when you see her._ Will's words repeated themselves in my head. Looking at her, there were so many things I wanted to say, but how to begin? I'd never done anything like this before. But as I looked at Sally, her silhouette against the moon, she looked utterly breathtaking. Before I knew what I was doing, I stepped forward and began to sing.

_My dearest friend, if you don't mind_

_I'd like to join you by your side_

_Where we can gaze into the stars_

She seemed surprised at first, but then she smiled at me. I eagerly walked up the hill to join her. And to my surprise and delight, she rose and began to sing with me. Oh, she had such a beautiful voice.

_And sit together, now and forever_

_For it is plain as anyone can see_

_We're simply meant to be_

I took her small hands in mine as I stared into her eyes. Oh how could I have been so blind? I always admired Sally for her cleverness, but now as I looked at her, how could I not have seen just how hauntingly beautiful she was? The way her eyes shone in the moonlight, or how her hair shimmered like red autumn leaves. Just being this close to her, I felt a warm feeling spreading through my bones. It was even better than when I first discovered Christmas Town. I never wanted this wondrous feeling to end.

I felt our joined hands lower and it was as if we were reacting purely on instinct. We stepped closer and as I wrapped my arms around her waist and lower back, Sally's arms came around my neck. I felt myself being pulled to her and my gaze fell to her devil red lips. And then it happened. I lowered my head as she tilted hers upwards and our lips met in a sweet, passionate kiss. Oh her lips were even softer than I'd imagined. We swayed for a moment, completely lost in our rapturous kiss.

Reluctantly, I felt us pulling away. I removed my arms from her waist and took her hands in mine once more. At that moment I realized what I had been missing all along. I found the filling to the emptiness that had been growing inside of me. And I intended to let her know just what she meant to me, even if it took the rest of eternity.

"Sally."

"Yes, Jack?"

"I … I love you."

"Oh Jack…" Her eyes misted over with unshed tears and her smile just about melted my bones. "I love you too."

Hearing her say those words, I couldn't hold back. I released her hands and cupped them around her face, and kissed her again. I sighed as I felt her kiss me back. This truly was the greatest night of my life.

**XXX**

(Will's POV)

Well I'm happy everything turned out alright in the end, but there was still one problem: How do I get home?

Since the movie ended with Jack and Sally's kiss and Zero flying off into the night, then technically I should have gone home by now. Yet here I was, still in Halloween Town. I walked around and smiled at the passing monsters. Finally I managed to walk all the way back to Skellington Manor. I went inside and found Mogwai asleep on the couch.

I shook my head. Taking off my backpack, I took out a clean shirt and shorts. I headed for the bathroom and washed the dirt and fake blood out of my hair, and off my skin. After I changed, I put my dirty clothes in my pack. Then I joined my sleeping puppy on the couch. It had been a long night and I was exhausted. As I sat there I began to wonder when Jack and Sally would be back. They were probably going to talk for a while, but if Jack was brining her back here I didn't want to be a third wheel. Well, no sense in being bored. I got off the couch and rummaged threw my pack until I found one of the books I'd stuffed down there. I smiled and returned to the couch to read _Nightshade_ while I waited.

About an hour or two later I heard the front door open. I smiled as I heard Jack and Sally coming up the stairs, laughing. They walked into the room, Jack's arm around Sally's shoulders, and only paused when they spotted me.

"Oh, Will," Jack said. "H-How long have you been there?"

"Awhile," I told him. "So, I see things went well." I couldn't resist and winked.

Sally blushed and Jack scratched the back of his skull. "Yes, well umm..."

"Say no more, I know when I'm not needed." I picked up my book, sleeping bag, and tired dog, and made my way towards the tower. Turning back over my shoulder, I told them, "I'll leave you two kids alone, but remember: I'm right upstairs so no getting _too __comfortable_."

Both skeleton and rag doll bushed/blanched in embarrassment, while I quietly chuckled all the way upstairs. I found a nice spot by the window and settled down for the night. I was just finishing another chapter when Zero flew in. He barked once to get my attention.

"Hey boy. Get a little crowded down there with the love birds."

"Arf!"

"Ha, ha. Well, you better get used to it. I gotta feeling this sorta thing will happen a lot more often. But you can crash here with me and Mogwai tonight." Zero barked his approval and settled down next to his buddy. I smiled and decided to join the two pups for a peaceful slumber.

**XXX**

The following morning I awoke to the smell of pancakes. I rolled out of my sleeping bag and followed my nose into the kitchen where I spotted Sally busying herself at the stove. She turned and greeted me with a smile. "Good morning Will. Did you sleep well?"

"Like the dead," I smiled back, "if you'll pardon the pun. Mmm, smells great. Whatcha cooking?"

"Pumpkin pancakes. Jack's still asleep, so I thought I'd make breakfast."

"Need any help?"

"Sure. Could you set the table."

"Sure thing." I was just about to get the plates when Sally hugged me. I returned the hug and asked, "What's this for?"

Sally leaned back to look at me and said, "To thank you. For all that you did for us."

"It was nothing. You needed my help and I did what I could. Although I'm guessing my help wasn't needed last night."

Sally blushed and released me to finish the pancakes. I giggled and resumed to the task at hand, setting the table. Soon there was a fresh stack of pancakes waiting to be devoured. And apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought they smelled delicious. Soon Jack, Zero, and Mogwai found their way into the kitchen.

"And just what have you two been up two this morning?" Jack asked from his spot in the doorway.

"Sally made breakfast."

"Is that so?" He walked over and wrapped Sally in his arms before giving her a peck on the cheek. "What a thoughtful woman my Sally is."

"Oh Jack," she blushed.

I smiled and shook my head. Oh yeah, they were defiantly in the first stage of a new relationship. After they said their good mornings, we all sat down at the table for breakfast. And boy was it delicious. Way better than the Christmas food I'd been eating for the last month and a half. Both Jack and I showered Sally with compliments on the food. Even Zero and Mogwai were lucky enough to each receive a pancake. We were all enjoying Sally's cooking when there was a knock at the door, followed by the scream of the doorbell.

"I'll get it. Excuse me ladies." Jack rose from his seat and left the room to answer the door. It was probably the Mayor coming to see if Jack was finally ready to discuss next year's Halloween plans. Sally and I were just finishing breakfast when we heard Jack downstairs.

"Oh my…"

"Who is it Jack?" Sally asked.

"Sally, Will. Could I see you both in the living room?" Sally and I both looked at each other, quite puzzled, but we followed Jack's instructions. However, we were very surprised to see who was with Jack as we entered the room.

"Hello Willa," Santa smiled at us. "Sally, it's nice to see you again."

"Mr. Clause, what are you doing here?" Sally asked.

Santa smiled but looked at me. "I came to see you, Willa my dear. I was sitting in my workshop when I remembered I had promised to take you home on Christmas Eve."

"But Santa, isn't that going to be a problem now?" I asked him. "After all, Christmas was yesterday."

"I'm well aware of that my dear," he stated. "And that is why I brought you this." He handed me a small green box wrapped in a silver ribbon.

"Thank you." I took the box and undid the bow. Inside was a beautifully carved wooden key. It looked like it was made from dark oak wood, and it was shaped like an old vintage skeleton key. I looked back at Santa and asked, "It's beautiful, but what's it for?"

The jolly old elf chuckled. "It is very special. Seeing you defending you're friends, I assumed you would want to continue visiting them. And as Jack learned, one can travel to other holiday realms through the Holiday Doors, but you, Will, were brought into Christmas Town by accident. After I returned from delivering all my presents, I decided to investigated the trees from my realm. Since they act as a kind of gateway to another world, I thought I could make a device that would allow you to return home. So I made this key from the bark of the Halloween Holiday Door."

"So if I use this key, I can come visit Jack and Sally whenever I wanted?" If he'd made it from the Halloween Door, then wouldn't that mean I could also return to Halloween Town and visit Jack and Sally? Huh? Suddenly I felt like I was in a scene from _Scary Godmother_.

"Just place it in any door in your world and this key will open it into this one," Santa instructed. "I'll admit, I'm still disgruntled with you, Jack," he cast a quick glare at the skeleton, "but Will and Sally have shown me that there is hope for this town

"Well, I'm sure Jack has learned his lesson about taking over other holidays." I quickly leaned in so only Santa could hear me and whispered, "But any chance you could get Sally one of the monkey leashes parents use for kids?"

Santa let out a strong laugh and smiled at me. "Perhaps. But for now I think it's about time you were heading home. And speaking of home, I'd better be on my way. This is my only day off for the entire year. Oh, just one more thing." Santa walked over and handed me another gift. It was a white cloth doll in a white ragged gown, with big eyes and black hair that looked like one of the troll dolls.

"I believe your friend wanted one of these toys. This was the only one I could salvage, not to mention it is the only harmless toy of Jack's terrifying creations." And with that Santa smiled, bid us all good bye, and left. I was completely stunned. How had Santa known that Al had wanted one of Jack's toys? Guess it just came with being Santa Claus.

I turned back to Jack and Sally. "Well, I guess I'd better be getting going too."

"I guess," Jack said. I noticed both he and Sally looked a little sad. It made me feel sad too. Part of me didn't want to say good-bye to my new friends. But another part of me knew I had to go home. "I'm really gonna miss you guys."

"It's been wonderful to have you Will," Sally said, "and thank you for everything."

"Aww, I didn't do anything." I couldn't help but notice she had gotten just a tad closer to Jack. "You guys would have been fine even if I hadn't dropped in."

Soon I gathered up my things and turned back to my friends. It was hard to have to say good-bye. Even Mogwai and Zero were having trouble letting the other go. I gave Jack and Sally each a hug, and patted Zero on the head. Then I picked Mogwai up in one hand and grabbed my key in the other.

"Well, good-bye everyone. Maybe we'll see each other again. But try to stay out of trouble, okay Jack?"

"I promise," he said, wrapping his arm around Sally's shoulder. She smiled and waved at me.

I waved back with my key hand and then turned to the door. Taking a deep breath, I placed the key in the lock and turned the handle. A shaft of light began to glow and I opened the door and stepped threw into the blinding radiance.

**XXX**

I stepped through the door to find myself walking into my living room. The sun was shining so it was clearly morning. I took out my phone and saw that the date had changed by only one day, but at least I was back in my own time. Mogwai wriggled out of my grasp and began prancing about the room, happy to be home. So far everything seemed as if nothing had happened. I absentmindedly slipped the key into my pocket and began setting my things down. I was just about to open my pack when I heard a wrapping at my door. I opened it to find Al standing there with a worried look on her face.

"Hey.. Eh!." She immediately started shaking my shoulders and was screaming at me.

"Where the hell have you been, Missy! I stayed up all night and I never once saw you in the movie. So I waited for you to call, but do I hear anything? NOOOO! Nada! Zilp! So I hopped into Bosco and drove all the way here on only one cup of coffee, just to find you smiling and acting like nothing happen?! **CONFESS**!"

I put my hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Ally, chill. If you take a deep breath, and let me go, I think I have something that will answer all your questions."

She did as I told her and released me. I walked over to my pack and pulled out the doll Santa had given me. Then I walked back and handed her the doll. "And a very happy belated birthday to you. I was going to give you a chainsaw, but three certain little brats broke it."

Al took the doll and began examining from all sides.

"It is accepted and YOU ARE FORGIVEN!" I felt the wind get knocked out of me as Al pounced on me in the tightest hug of my life. And then she let me go and started babbling about how her day was. It's like I never even left.

After about a good six minutes, Al waited as I repacked some fresh clothes in my pack and then helped me load my stuff into her car. I ran back into the house and made sure all the doors and windows were locked. Then I checked for the note my mother as supposed to leave for my brother, Thomas. He was looking after the house while I was with Al and Kat. I found it next to the phone and, after saying good-bye to Mogwai, I joined Al out in her car. Once I was buckled, Al started the car and we were off to the cabin. As I sat there I felt the key in my pocket. I slipped it out and began examining it.

"So tell me," Al asked as she pulled onto I-5. "What was it like being in Halloween Town?"

I smiled and looked down at the key in my hand. If it weren't in my hand, I probably would have thought the whole thing had been a dream. But it had really happened. I had gone into one of my favorite Tim Burton movies, met some of my favorite characters, battled an evil villain, and even gave romantic advice to a skeleton and a rag doll. It would be one adventure I wouldn't forget any time soon, and I couldn't wait to go back.

Tucking my key back into my pocket, I turned to face my best friend. "Ally girl, where do I even start?"

**The End**

**XXX**

**GodlyJewel:** Well, there you have it folks. My story is finished. I hope you all have enjoyed it and will leave many reviews. Once again I'd like to thank Cosmic Horse for participating and contributing to my story. Oh, and one more thing. There may be a sequel to this. After all, Al had been begging me to let her come to Halloween Town…


End file.
